It's been nearly five years since the last Gears of War video game was released, but it sounds like Xbox could be gearing up to reveal the next installment in the popular third-person shooter franchise.
According to Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb, Gears 6 could be revealed this summer.
Appearing on Kinda Funny's Xcast show this week, Grubb the topic of Gears 6 came up, and Grubb stated: "Well, real quick, I will say I've heard some stuff might be happening with Gears 6 this summer."
Microsoft has already confirmed plans to host its annual Xbox Summer Showcase, which could be the perfect stage to reveal the next Gears title. Xbox has already confirmed upcoming games like Avowed and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II will be present during the showcase, but Xbox could really make a splash by revealing the next Gears game.
Grubb's claim was further corroborated by multiple sources around the industry. The Verge's Tom Warren added more credence to the rumors, revealing that The Coalition has been working on the next Gears of War game or at least a year.
Additionally, prominent leaker "Shinobi602" — who has a fairly good track record — posted a cryptic message on ResetEra that should have Xbox and Gears of War fans excited. "Wait until you see Gears," they wrote. "People aren't ready."
Gears 5 was the latest installment in the popular series. It was released all the way back in September 2019. We haven't heard much about Gears 6 other than it will be developed by The Coalition. Former studio boss Rod Fergusson previously stated that he had written the story synopsis for the game before leaving to become general manager of Diablo. However, he isn't sure if that is the story the studio will go with for the game and joked that The Coalition probably threw it out.
Gears of War is one Xbox's flagship franchises. The third-person shooter series first debuted in November 2006 for the Xbox 360. The original trilogy focused on humanity's fight against the Locust Horde, and eventually their mutated counterparts, the Lambent.
In 2013, Gears of War: Judgment, a spin-off prequel to the series' first title was released. Gears of War 4, which is set 25 years after Gears of War 3 and follows Marcus Fenix's son, JD, in a battle against the Swarm, was released in 2016. Gears 5 was a direct sequel to Gears of War 4 and revolves around JD's friend Kait Diaz.
In addition to the video games, there are plans to adapt the franchise into both a live-action movie as well as an animated series. Both will be coming to Netflix.