Summary
- Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel, focusing on Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago in the early days of the Locust invasion.
- Gears of War titles have seen big player spikes after E-Day's reveal, with Gears of War: Ultimate Edition experiencing a 323% increase.
- Gears 5's player count has also surged, surpassing popular titles like Call of Duty, likely due to the excitement around Gears of War: E-Day.
It seems more and more Xbox gamers are diving back into the Gears of War series, likely due to the swirling excitement surrounding The Coalition's recently revealed Gears of War: E-Day. Xbox just had what some are calling its best games showcase ever. New gameplay footage for big Xbox titles like Fable, South of Midnight, Perfect Dark, and State of Decay 3 was revealed, as well as an epic new Doom game named The Dark Ages. Even with all of this considered, Gears of War: E-Day arguably made the biggest splash of the show.
Many Gears of War fans were expecting to see a follow-up to 2019's Gears 5 when rumors began cropping up about a Coalition appearance at Xbox's showcase. Instead, longtime fans were pleased to learn that Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel to the main trilogy, set fourteen years before the events of the original game and focusing on Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago as they struggle to survive the early days of the Locust invasion. The Coalition also expressed that Gears of War: E-Day will turn up the horror dial as it attempts to make Locust Drones, known as cannon fodder throughout the series, much more formidable and scary to face, as seen in the heavy-hitting reveal trailer.
Gears of War: E-Day Dev Comments on Whether the Game Will Have Multiplayer
A developer on The Coalition's Gears of War: E-Day comments on whether the upcoming prequel will feature any form of multiplayer.
Not even two weeks after Gears of War: E-Day's reveal, TrueAchievements has reported that some Gears of War titles have seen massive player spikes following E-Day's announcement. The title enjoying the largest jump is Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, the 2015 remaster of the original Gears game, which rose in players a whopping 323% according to TrueAchievements. This makes a ton of sense considering Gears of War: E-Day's place in the franchise's timeline and its enticing promise to return to a more horror-heavy tone and setting akin to the earliest Gears games.
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition and Gears 5 Are Enjoying A Huge Jump In Player Counts
Players aren't just jumping into Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. Gears 5 has surprisingly seen a big player boost too, landing it on TrueAchievement's weekly top 40 chart at 34, over games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Black Ops Cold War, and FIFA 23. Though not as significant as Gears 5 or Ultimate Edition's spikes, Gears of War 2 and Gears 3 enjoyed some extra attention as well. There's no doubt that these Gears of War player spikes are a direct result of The Coalition's Gears of War: E-Day reveal, which seems to have reignited the Gears fanbase, much like the Fallout Amazon series did to Bethesda's Fallout games a few months ago.
While it hasn't received an official release window, Gears of War: E-Day is rumored to be looking at a 2025 release. Though, considering Xbox already has Fable, Doom: The Dark Ages, and South of Midnight slated for next year, with inXile's Clockwork Revolution also rumored to join the party, it's easy to imagine Gears of War: E-Day coming out in 2026.
Gears of War
Xbox Game Studios' Gears of War franchise began on the Xbox 360 and instantly became a flagship franchise for the green brand. The original Gears of War trilogy is considered one of the finest in the history of the third-person shooter genre, with the trilogy's intense action and surprisingly touching story moments creating memorable experiences.
The series has had another two solid main series entries since and even a turn-based tactics game.