The Coalition — developer of theGears of Warseries — announcedGears of War: E-Dayat the Xbox Games Showcase earlier this year. The game will be a prequel placing players in the boots of Marcus Phoenix and Dominic Santiago at the outbreak of the Locust War. WhileGears of War: E-Daydoesn’t have an official release date, it is confirmed to be coming to both Xbox and PC.
Gears of War: E-Dayquickly became a highly anticipated title for many Xbox players. Not only willE-Dayhopefully be areturn to form for theGears of Warseries, but it will be providing the Xbox with a major new first-party game. Xbox has been trailing behind the competition when it comes to exclusive releases, but a trend set in motion by a recent PlayStation property could serve as excellent inspiration for anE-Daygame mode.
Bringing a New Multiplayer Experience to Gears of War
TheGears of Warseries is no stranger to multiplayer. Dating back to the originalGears of War, many games in the franchise have featured objective-based PVP modes. The Coalition’s Creative Director, Matt Searcy, already implied thatE-Daywill likely feature online multiplayerduring an interview with Windows Central. However, rather than the series' typical PVP focus for multiplayer, The Coalition should consider hopping on theHelldivers 2bandwagon.
The Success of Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2launched on PlayStation 5 and PC this past February and quickly became one of the most popular multiplayer games of the year. The game’sStarship Troopers-esque premise features a cooperative mode where four players take on wave after wave of alien bugs and automatons in the name of Super Earth.Helldivers 2won players over with its high-octane hijinks and community-centric live service model.
Helldivers 2set in motion a desire for more PVE experiences where friends can hop into a queue and fight off a bloodthirsty horde of enemies together. This helpedWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s multiplayergain traction when it was released. It shared a similar premise and finally gave Xbox users a taste of the action that they had been missing out on.
Why Gears of War: E-Day Should Borrow from Helldivers 2
Considering the success ofSpace Marine 2on Xbox and the continuedcampaign to bringHelldivers 2to Xbox, The Coalition has the perfect opportunity to capitalize on this new trend in multiplayer gaming. The plot ofE-Dayalready follows a handful of human soldiers as they fight back against a seemingly endless onslaught of bug-inspired enemies. ThoughGears of Wars' gameplay may differ from that ofHelldivers 2,Space Marine 2— whose level design and bulky, chainsword-wielding soldiers have been compared to theGears' series on many occasions — has proven thatE-Daycould easily slot into this format.
Adding a similar game mode toE-Daywould not only help to fulfill the desires of many Xbox players, but it would make the game a much more enticing package. A PVE mode like Helldivers 2 would giveE-Daya unique gimmick and help it to stand apart from other entries in the Gears series. The PVE mode would also be partnered with a substantial story mode, which should be fairly accessible to new fans since the game is a prequel.E-Day’s narrative focuscould make it more appealing to players interested inHelldivers 2but unsure about paying for a multiplayer-only experience.Helldivers 2might never come to Xbox, andSpace Marine 2’s content is fairly limited. Rather than wait around to see how either of those pan out, Xbox and The Coalition should seize the moment themselves.
Gears of War: E-Day
WHERE TO PLAY
The Story of E-DayFourteen years before Gears of War, war heroes Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago return home to face a new nightmare: the Locust Horde. These subterranean monsters, grotesque and relentless, erupt from below, laying siege on humanity itself. New FoundationsBuilt from the ground up with Unreal Engine 5, Gears of War: E-Day delivers unprecedented graphical fidelity.
