Heading into the Xbox Games Showcase there were rumors swirling that we could get a new Gears of War game announcement. Sure enough, Xbox delivered, revealing Gears of War: E-Day.
As the title alludes, Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel to the very first Gears of War game, which was released all the way back in 2006. E-Day, also known as Emergence Day, is the day when the subterranean race of the Locust Horde launched a full-scale, coordinated, and unprecedented planet-wide assault on the surface of Sera.
"Gears of War: E-Day is an origin story that depicts the horror of Locust invasion on Emergence Day through the eyes of Marcus Fenix," the game's description reads. Set 14 years before the events of the original Gears of War, E-Day will tell the story of the first Locust emergence on Sera. We'll follow younger versions of Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago as they begin their fight against the Locust invasion.
“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," Creative Director Matt Searcy told Xbox Wire. “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.”
Gears of War: E-Day was announced through an intense in-engine trailer that reintroduces us to Marcus as he engages in a brutal struggle with a Locust Drone. But as you'll quickly see, this is not the Marcus Fenix we first in 2006 — this is a much younger, inexperienced Marcus Fenix. While he ultimately comes out on top, you can sense that Marcus, and the rest of the world, are not yet equipped to handle this type of threat.
Developer The Coalition are aiming to recast the Locusts as "living nightmare," describing the antagonists as "formidable creatures that dwell beneath the earth, tapping into our deepest fears."
“The design brief was pretty simple,” explained 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?”
“When players experience E-Day, they see the monsters through the eyes of those encountering them for the first time," studio art directed Aryan Hanbeck added. “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.”
At the heart of Gears of War: E-Day is a story about brotherhood. When we met Marcus and Dom, they already had a strong bond. While the pair are seasons veterans of the Pendulum Wars, they've yet to face a threat like the Locust.
“The best Gears games have these super emotional themes around shared burden, belonging, trust and loyalty, and Marcus and Dom have a really interesting relationship going into E-Day,” Searcy explained.
“We’re telling the origin story of Marcus and Dom and their bond… this is the bond that defines the franchise,” Searcy added. “They’re not the characters we know from Gears 1 to 3. They don’t have 10 years of fighting the Locust between them. When the game opens, there’s supposed to be peace on Sera, and they’re trying to figure out life without this person they both loved. People are going to see the formation of this brotherhood that is so iconic to Gears.”
Gears of War: E-Day doesn't have a release date.