Xbox Game Studios and The Coalition's upcoming shooter Gears of War: E-Day is getting some support from Polish developer People Can Fly, with the latter sharing details on the development partnership on Monday.
“Returning to collaborate on the next chapter of this legendary saga is both a privilege and an exciting opportunity to build upon the intense, visceral action and rich storytelling that fans have come to love. We are deeply grateful for our partners’ trust and support on this journey," says People Can Fly CEO Sebastian Wojciechowski.
In addition to providing assistance to Epic Games on the original Gears of War trilogy, People Can Fly was the lead developer on 2013's Gears of War Judgment, a story focused on supporting character Damon Baird. After separating from Epic Games, People Can Fly developed Outriders, a third-person co-op game published by Square Enix.
“Gears of War: E-Day is not just our next major game; it’s a return to what makes Gears of War games special and authentic. We’re pleased to be partnering with the talented folks at People Can Fly who have been a part of our franchise’s legacy for so long," said Mike Crump, studio head of The Coalition.
First revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, Gears of War: E-Day is the next mainline title in the iconic Xbox franchise, framed as a prequel during Emergence Day, the kickoff of the Human-Locust war. Gears of War: E-Day again stars Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, the main protagonists of the first three games.
Returning to the roots of the franchise
This partnership is thematically fitting, since just as Gears of War: E-Day is explicitly meant to evoke the themes and mood of the original trilogy (especially the first game) so too was People Can Fly lending a hand when the series began.
Hopefully we'll be learning more about Gears of War: E-Day soon. We know it's being developed using Unreal Engine 5 and that The Coalition felt compelled to return to this period of time in the franchise, but there's a lot of other questions that need to be answered.
In addition to helping out with Gears of War: E-Day, People Can Fly is also working on a game of its own with Xbox Game Studios. Codenamed Project Maverick, the project is based on an IP owned by Microsoft with a budget at the time of announcement of between $30-$50 million. Little else is known at this time, but it wouldn't shock me if this is a Gears of War spinoff title of some kind.
Gears of War: E-Day does not have a release date at this time. Whenever it does launch, it will presumably be available on Xbox Series X|S consoles and Windows PC. As an Xbox first-party game, it'll also be available day one in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
