While the Xbox Fresh Look for Metro 2039 came and went, all eyes remain on the future, specifically the Xbox Games Showcase and Gears of War: E-Day Direct on June 7th. Gameplay and “insights” from The Coalition will be revealed, but how much can fans expect, especially since this is the studio’s most ambitious game yet? Thankfully, a pretty hefty amount, according to Xbox’s chief content officer, Matt Booty.
On the Official Xbox Podcast, he revealed that the upcoming Direct will be half an hour long. “I’ll say that we’ve got the Gears Direct coming, and after seeing that, we’ve probably got like a full 30 minutes, which is really great.
“And I don’t know. I just love everybody in that studio, the work they’re doing. I’m excited about the game, and we’re going to have a fantastic, full 30 minutes of stuff to see.”
Obviously, he won’t spill the beans on what the development team is showcasing. With rumors of Microsoft targeting the second half of the year for E-Day’s release, launch date announcement almost feels a given at this point. Also, creative director Matt Searcy more or less confirmed that multiplayer would be included, so perhaps there will be a beta before launch.
Whether Gears of War: E-Day will join the likes of Fable in launching on day one for PS5 alongside Xbox Series X/S and PC, or at a later date akin to Forza Horizon 6, remains to be seen. There are apparently discussions ongoing about first-party exclusivity at Microsoft, though nothing is official as of yet. Regardless, stay tuned for more updates.