Summary

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

Heading into the show, most Xbox fans were expecting the nextGearstitle topick up Kait Diaz’s story afterGears 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 ofGears of War 4andGears 5.

Gears of War: E-Day Tag Page Cover Art

Shortly afterGears 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 takingGears of War. Bleszinski even called out the subtle use of Gary Jules' “Mad World” as a callback to the iconic trailer of the originalGears of Wargame. 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 thedirection of the nextGears of Wartitle. Judging by his positive reaction toE-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-Daycould mark a much-needed resurgence for the franchise in the way aGears 5follow-up might not.

See, they didn’t need me, y’all

WhileGears 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, withMachineGames’Indiana Jones and the Great Circleand Obsidian’sAvowedboth dropping later this year. Yesterday’s Xbox Games Showcase wowed viewers, packed with reveals likeDoom: The Dark Ages, the return of Max Caulfield inLife is Strange: Double Exposure, and first looks at the gameplay ofPerfect Dark, State of Decay 3,South of Midnight.

Gears of War: E-Day

WHERE TO PLAY

The Story of E-DayFourteen years before Gears of War, war heroes Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago return home to face a new nightmare: the Locust Horde. These subterranean monsters, grotesque and relentless, erupt from below, laying siege on humanity itself. New FoundationsBuilt from the ground up with Unreal Engine 5, Gears of War: E-Day delivers unprecedented graphical fidelity.