Highlights

  • Gears of War: E-Day takes players back to the series' roots, exploring Emergence Day with young Marcus and Dom.
  • The return to "of War" in the title hints at a shift back to the classic conflict and characters fans know and love.
  • The prequel's format may set the stage for future entries to delve deeper into the franchise's earliest events.

Gears of War: E-Day was announced at this week’s Xbox Showcase, taking fans back to the eventful day that started it all. Set 14 years before 2006’s original Gears of War, players will follow Marcus Phoenix and Dominic Santiago as they face off against the Locust emergence on Sera. Over the years, the Gears of War franchise has gone through many shifts, introducing new lead characters, technology, locations, and villains. While some of these features worked, the trajectory of the series, as a whole, has left many fans wanting. Gears of War: E-Day’s return to its roots appears intended to rectify that issue, with one early detail undoing the franchise’s biggest recent mistake.

Gears of War: E-Day will thrust players into the Gears of War series' inciting event, Emergence Day, when the Locust horde erupted from below the ground, and began laying siege to humanity. The title will follow a young Marcus and Dom as they fight back the horde from humanity's homeworld, Sera, with fans once again playing as Marcus himself. Gears of War: E-Day is expected to explore the series' lore and offer insight into the motivations of its original protagonists. However, little else is currently known about the title.

Gears of War E-Day Text
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Gears of War: E-Day Brings the Series' Titular War Back Into Focus

Recent Gears of War titles have explored humanity's conflict with the Swarm, a remnant of the Locust horde that emerged 25 years after their defeat on V-Day. However, this new storyline led to more than just a departure from the original trilogy’s characters and conflict. Starting in 2019, the franchise released new titles under the banner of Gears, quite literally leaving the titular “War” behind. Gears: Pop!, Gears 5, and Gears: Tactics each explored new and unique takes on the series' lore and universe, marking a clear series shift. While the mainline Gears 5 was still positively received both commercially and critically, the franchise’s overall removal of “of War” from its titles, and the clear departure it was meant to insinuate, are among its biggest mistakes.

With the announcement of Gears of War: E-Day, developer The Coalition returns the series and its titles to their roots. While Gears 5 was a worthy entry in the franchise, fans were deeply connected to the original trilogy's characters and conflict, with many hoping to experience more from that era. By returning "of War" to E-Day's title, The Coalition is declaring its next entry to embody what made classic titles so endearing. What's more, it marks a purposeful shift in tone that's cause for excitement.

Gears of War: E-Days Title Shift is a Sign of What's to Come

Gears of War: E-Day’s title shift is more than just a declaration of the series’ return to form; it’s a sign of what’s to come. For the first time in a decade, fans will be returning to the front lines of humanity’s war with the Locusts. Emergence Day has long been heralded as the most pivotal event in the series’ history, and fans will now be given a front-row seat to how Marcus and Dom became humanity’s best hope for survival and future saviors. However, fans are already beginning to speculate that E-Day is more than just a glimpse at the series’ inaugural event.

Gears of War: E-Day, and the format of its title, may be hinting at a new series of entries in the Gears of War franchise. By marking this newest entry as Gears of War, rather than a Gears title, The Coalition leaves room for follow-up entries to insert their own subtitles and continue an exploration of the franchise’s earliest events. Little is known about Gears of War: E-Day, beyond its reveal trailer, though previous entries have revealed some lore and ensuing events. Fans of the Gears of War franchise may need to wait a while longer before more details emerge, as Gears of War: E-Day is still in active development.