Highlights

  • Gears of War: E-Day goes back to basics with Dom and Marcus in a darker prequel setting.
  • Cliff Bleszinski praises Xbox and The Coalition for the direction of the new Gears of War installment.
  • The long-awaited origin story is being built from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5.

Cliff Bleszinski has given praise to Xbox and The Coalition's dark and gritty reveal of Gears of War: E-Day. One of the biggest splashes of the Xbox Games Showcase, Gears of War: E-Day will be set 14 years before the events of the 2006 title Gears of War.

Heading into the show, most Xbox fans were expecting the next Gears title to pick up Kait Diaz's story after Gears 5's cliffhanger ending, but the upcoming title will instead center around the early days of younger Marcus Fenix and fan-favorite Dom Santiago amid the throes of Emergence Day, the Locust's initial attack on Sera. Longtime fans of the franchise were pleased with the trailer's tone, which is darker than that of Gears of War 4 and Gears 5.

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Shortly after Gears of War: E-Day's celebrated reveal, franchise creator Cliff Bleszinski took to Twitter to applaud Xbox and The Coalition for the direction they seem to be taking Gears of War. Bleszinski even called out the subtle use of Gary Jules' "Mad World" as a callback to the iconic trailer of the original Gears of War game. In subsequent tweets, the creator went on to speculate about Dom and his wife Maria, a "Welcome Home" banner hinting toward the preceding Pendulum Wars, and how the iconic Hammer of Dawn weapon could play into things.

Cliff Blezsinski Praises Gears of War: E-Day Trailer

In his original tweet, Bleszinski mentions how Xbox and The Coalition "...didn't need me." In recent months, Bleszinski made it be publicly known that, as the original creator of the franchise, he'd be open to providing consultation for the direction of the next Gears of War title. Judging by his positive reaction to E-Day, it seems The Coalition wasn't too far off from Bleszinski's vision for the franchise. As a darker prequel to the original trilogy focusing on Marcus and Dom in the early days of fighting the Locust Horde, Gears of War: E-Day could mark a much-needed resurgence for the franchise in the way a Gears 5 follow-up might not.

See, they didn't need me, y'all

While Gears of War: E-Day's trailer was impressively made in-engine, it's still the title's initial cinematic reveal. It'll likely be some time before Xbox is ready to show more, or even divulge a release year. Luckily, Xbox fans still have tons to look forward to in the meantime, with MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Obsidian's Avowed both dropping later this year. Yesterday's Xbox Games Showcase wowed viewers, packed with reveals like Doom: The Dark Ages, the return of Max Caulfield in Life is Strange: Double Exposure, and first looks at the gameplay of Perfect Dark, State of Decay 3, South of Midnight.