This article contains spoilers for Gears 5
Rod Fergusson, the former studio head of Xbox’s The Coalition, has provided some insight into the direction he was planning to take the sixth mainlineGears of Warentry prior to leaving the studio in 2020. Having separated fromGears of War, Fergusson currently serves as the head of theDiablofranchise at Blizzard Entertainment, and is working on supportingDiablo 4for years to come.
Back in June, Xbox held what has been called its best games showcase ever as part of Summer Game Fest. Closing out the show was an appearance from The Coalition, which debuted a cinematic reveal trailer for the next game in theGears of Warfranchise,Gears of War: E-Day. In a surprising twist, The Coalition is momentarily foregoing aGears 5follow-up in favor of a prequel setfourteen years before the originalGears of War, which will focus on the bond between series protagonist Marcus Fenix and fan-favorite character Dom Santiago in the earliest days of the Locust invasion.
In the latest episode ofIGN’s Podcast Unlocked, Rod Fergusson shared his narrative plans forwhat would’ve beenGears of War 6. Fergusson mentioned that he was planning to take Kait, Marcus, and the crew off Sera to see whether life would be sustainable on a different planet in Sera’s solar system. He pointed to the Sputnik-like Union of Independent Republics (UIR) tech the characters came across inGears 5as the way the crew would be able to get to space, saying it wouldn’t be a massive space expedition, just a group of desperate humans attempting to escape and survive.
Rod Fergusson Wanted To Take Gears of War 6 To A Different Planet
Fergusson also talked about the crucial decision tosave either JD Fenix or Del Walker at the end ofGears 5, saying he didn’t have a definitive canon choice. Rather, The Coalition was planning to leave it up to the players, and using the stats of the in-game decision, would move forward with the character that was saved by more players. It’s interesting to know Fergusson was ready to leave such an important franchise decision up to fans. Though not as important a character, Epic Games did something somewhat similar forGears of War 3,allowing fans to vote to either kill off Clayton Carmine or have him survive. As forGears 6leaving Sera, there’s a ton of possibilities for what Kait and the crew could encounter on a different planet as far as new enemy threats go. Whether the Locust live in the center of every planet in Sera’s solar system would be an interesting theory to potentially explore.
WhileGears of War: E-Dayis next in line,Gears of War6and the continuation of Kait Diaz’s story followingGears 5’s cliffhanger ending is still very much a possibility down the road. It’ll be interesting to see whether Fergusson’s narrative ideas for the entry make it to fruition. For now, fans haveGears of War: E-Dayto be excited about, which is rumored to be coming sometime in 2025.
Gears of War
Xbox Game Studios' Gears of War franchise began on the Xbox 360 and instantly became a flagship franchise for the green brand. The original Gears of War trilogy is considered one of the finest in the history of the third-person shooter genre, with the trilogy’s intense action and surprisingly touching story moments creating memorable experiences.The series has had another two solid main series entries since and even a turn-based tactics game.
