The critical response to The Coalition’s Gears of War: E-Day has been quite strong, even if sales numbers remain up in the air. But is it enough to quell alleged fears within the studio that they’re next up for layoffs, especially after story director Juan Vaca and other employees were let go ahead of launch?
Studio head Mike Crump wouldn’t comment on the rumors when speaking to the BBC. “What I say to myself, what I say to the team, is we need to focus on the things that we can control. For us that’s about shipping a great game that people are going to love, and I feel like, as a team, we’ve done that.” So really, it’s 50-50 at this point.
However, it seems the studio has at least considered a follow-up to E-Day. Crump called it a “great foundation” and claimed, “The next game will not take nearly as long.”
Of course, a big reason for the prequel’s long development cycle is that the development team started with an empty hard disk and built all assets from scratch. Nothing from the previous games is reused – it’s all tailored for Unreal Engine 5. Even if the sequel shifts locations or somehow goes even bigger, The Coalition can rely on existing work to help speed things up.
If nothing else, the statement contextualizes E-Day missing several features from previous titles, including Meat Shields, chainsaw dueling, and various weapons. While the team looks into what it can bring back, some aspects may instead appear in the next game.
Gears of War: E-Day is out on Xbox Series X/S and PC. Check out our campaign and multiplayer reviews for more details.
