More details of the next chapter in the Gears of War saga have been revealed at Microsoft’s E3 showcase, including more gameplay of the new game and a release date, September 10. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate owners will be able to play the game three days early.
The new game, which follows the Outside Kait Diaz as she discovers more about her past ties to the Locust, has dropped the of War from its title but follows the same formula as with previous Gears of War games.
The gameplay demonstrated in the showcase highlights the struggles of Diaz as she battles her inner demons, flipping between being under the locust influence. New modes were announced called, Arcade multiplayer mode and Escape, with new gameplay shown for the latter.
Announced last year with a short trailer alongside Gears: Tactics, a modern X:COM inspired tactical turn-based strategy game, and Gears POP!, a game that seemed to be inspired by the Funko POP Vinyl collectibles. Microsoft has been tight-lipped on all three games since last year’s conference.
Since Microsoft purchased the franchise from Epic Games in 2014, the development has been handled by The Coalition. Based in Vancouver, the studio handed the remaster of the original game for Xbox One and PC, and then subsequently the last installment in the series, Gears of War 4. While not quite on the level of praise as the original trilogy, Gears 4 was still well received and deemed a step up from the previous game, Gears of War: Judgement, which was made by Bulletstorm and Painkiller developer People Can Fly.
The game is set to be a Play Anywhere title, meaning that anyone who purchases the game digitally on either Xbox One or PC will have access to the version on the other version. The game will also be a part of the Xbox Game Pass from launch, meaning that fans subscribed to the service will be able to play without a full purchase.
