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It's been a long time since a Gears campaign supported four-player co-op. Fifteen years, in fact, with Gears of War 3 remaining the first and last entry in the series to offer it.
Recently, the team at GamesRadar+ spoke with The Coalition's Matt Searcy about the technical challenges involved and why bringing four-player co-op to Gears of War: E-Day feels like the right move:
"We made the decision to support four player co-op to reflect an aspect of how the core Gears DNA feels. Our stories are almost always about a four-person squad, right?"
Gears of War: E-Day is set to launch as an Xbox exclusive on October 6th for PC and Xbox Series X|S. From day one, players will be able to get stuck into the campaign as any member of Bravo Squad, made up of returning heroes Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, gaming's beefiest brotherhood, alongside franchise newbies Mags Carter and rookie Lucas Reyes.
As we're set to experience Emergence Day, arguably the defining moment in Gears history, the creative director goes on to explain Bravo Squad's frontline role in the fall of Kalona:
"It's kind of like Band of Brothers or Saving Private Ryan, where you're following this group and they aren't always going to be in the right place at the right time."
Gears of War: E-Day's campaign will take place entirely within the city of Kalona, a singular location to which Searcy adds has been tailored for the gameplay:
"We have had modes that have supported four-player co-op in them in the past and clearly they work, so this was all about building the right spaces at the right sizes. You know, we build to make sure the game plays great in single-player, in two-player co-op, and then in three- and four-player co-op as well."
For me, Gears has always been about that co-op connection, whether that's taking the fight to the Locust in campaign or teaming up online across its various PvE and PvP multiplayer modes. But for those who prefer to fight alone, Searcy had this to say:
"We love single-player games, and Gears is built so that you can play it that way and have an amazing time. Our mechanics are designed in single-player, you'll have the squad there with you, and the game will play great if you're on your own. But we really believe in the co-op experience too, as you get to try different tactics and experiment with multiple things at once in our larger combat arenas – it's a lot of fun,"
We'll have to wait until October 5th to see how four-player co-op shapes up in Gears of War: E-Day. Until then, we'll leave you with a selection of gorgeous screenshots below.
Will you be playing Gears of War: E-Day in four-player co-op? Or alone? Let us know your plans in the comments!