Gears Of War: E-Day, A New Gears Prequel, Revealed

During the Xbox Games Showcase, Microsoft officially announced the next entry in the Gears series, and it's going back in time. Gears E-Day, as it's called, is coming to Xbox and PC in the future. Of all the biggest reveals at the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, this was arguably the biggest, and Xbox saved it for last.

The announcement is good news for fans who wanted to see the series continue, even if it may be going in the opposite direction on the timeline compared to what fans may have expected. The cinematic trailer shows a young Marcus Fenix struggling with a single Locust, something he's not prone to doing in the later games--but this a greener, less experienced Marcus.

In the end, he overcomes thanks to his best bud, Dom, before the pair look out into the distance to see all hell breaking loose during Emergence Day, or the day when the Locusts emerged from beneath the planet and went to war with humanity.

The studio said that E-Day has long been "the heart of the Gears universe" and so in building for the future, it looked to Gears' past. The game takes place 14 years before the original Gears of War story. This also means some of the weapons will call back to the lore's earlier versions, like a Lancer without the iconic chainsaw that is instead equipped with a bayonet. However, the game is a "story of many origins," teased the studio, so it seems we'll see the birth of the chainsawed Lancer during the campaign.

The game also hearkens back to the old days with a small nod to Gary Jules' Mad World cover, a song which has long been linked to Gears of War ever since a memorable trailer featured the song over 15 years ago.

The series, which has forever been tied closely to the Unreal Engine, will naturally be built in Unreal Engine 5. There's not yet a release date for the game.