Years ago, there was an idea to take Gears of War 6 into space, but now, the next game is called Gears of War: E-Day.
Rod Fergusson, who used to lead The Coalition and now works on the Diablo series, talked about his original vision for Gears of War 6 on IGN’s Podcast Unlocked. He imagined a story that would go beyond the planet Sera to explore what other parts of the galaxy, or at least the solar system, might hold. “So what I wanted to do with Gears 6 is get you off Sera to encounter what that could mean to the rest of the galaxy–at least the rest of the solar system.”
But Fergusson made it clear that this wouldn’t mean characters like Kait Diaz and Marcus Fenix would be traveling between planets like in Mass Effect. Instead, it was more about introducing a fresh setting, hinted at by the old, mysterious tech shown in Gears of War 5. “It wasn’t like we’re just going to start Mass Effect-ing this,” Fergusson said.
Before he left to join Activision, Fergusson had already drafted an outline for Gears of War 6. However, he mentioned that The Coalition might not use his ideas, which he was okay with.
Sometimes, fans just want to see the classics come back.
The Coalition, for now, seems to be focusing on the past with Gears of War: E-Day, which was introduced at the Xbox Games Showcase. This game is a prequel and takes us back to when a young Marcus Fenix fights against the Locust on Emergence Day, setting the stage 14 years before the first game in the series.
Fergusson finds the idea of Gears of War: E-Day “really smart” and is intrigued by how the absence of the Lancer, the iconic chainsaw gun, will be handled. He thinks fans love the game for that weapon.
The release date for Gears of War: E-Day is still unknown.
