As many predicted, the next entry into Gears of War has been revealed today by developer The Coalition at the Xbox Games Showcase. What many probably didn’t guess is what would be announced. Gears of War: E-Day is an origin story that depicts the horror of the Locust invasion on Emergence Day through the eyes of Marcus Fenix.
Creative Director Matt Searcy and Brand Director Nicole Fawcette talked about why the next game in the Gears of War franchise is an origin story and not Gears 6. “We realized that a lot of the words we use to describe the franchise were what our fans also use, phrases like brotherhood, brutality, pathos, awe” says Searcy. “Why E-Day? That’s the moment it all comes together. It’s the heart of the Gears universe. Everything that happens is shaped by this day.”
“It’s going to feel like a new Gears game, because that’s what it is,” Searcy says. “It’s us revisiting the tone and the feeling of what makes Gears great, but we’re tapping into new techniques, new processes, and new technology that’s going to make the gameplay feel better than ever. It’s going to be awesome, a game that feels both truly new, and authentically Gears.”
Gears of War: E-Day is set 14 years before the events of the original game and tells the story of the first Locust emergence on Sera. As the game unfolds, players will see how the ill-prepared world responds to a threat like the Locust. The Coalition wants to be very intentional to bring back the Locust threat in a unique and specific way. The Locust are living nightmares. They aren’t the typical alien or zombie video game antagonists; they’re mysterious, formidable creatures that dwell beneath the earth, tapping into our deepest fears.
“The design brief was pretty simple,” explains Searcy. “Locust are the ‘monsters under the bed.’ What would happen to the people of Sera in seeing this overwhelming army of monsters and trying to figure out…what are you going to do?”
Studio Art Director Aryan Hanbeck explains further, “When players experience E-Day, they see the monsters through the eyes of those encountering them for the first time.” One of the enemies that got an overhaul was the Locust Drone which became canon fodder as the series progressed.“We transformed the drone into something fearsome, physically intimidating, and utterly brutal,” Hanbeck notes, highlighting its enhanced status just behind Marcus and Dom in the announce trailer. “Getting the drone right was crucial; everything else with the Locust we’re scaling up from there.”
“We’re super proud about Gears 4 and Gears 5 and the stories that were told,” Fawcette adds. “We’re not retreating from that storyline in any way. But in [this] moment, we had an opportunity to write our next step, and this one just felt too good to miss.”