Gears of War: E-Day entered Early Access on October 1, allowing players who purchased this latest Xbox exclusive blockbuster to jump into the game. However, this cover-based shooter did not launch with all the features players were expecting. The developer stated that this is partly because E-Day represents the team's effort to rebuild the core Gears of War gameplay from the ground up using new technology.
"While developing E-Day, we started with an empty hard drive, building the entire gameplay sandbox from scratch to ensure a more unified experience across Campaign, PvE, and PvP modes," the studio stated in last night's blog post. "This new sandbox also allowed us to innovate in cover mechanics, combat systems, and enemy design. The trade-off, however, is that we couldn't include all the classic legacy features from the Gears of War series at launch."
The blog post continued: "Human shields, chainsaw duels, curated weapons from the series' past, as well as online features like private custom lobbies and leaderboards—these have not been removed from the series. The team is fully committed to delivering the most stable and polished launch experience possible, while also planning future updates. We will gradually introduce and optimize classic features beloved by players after launch or in the next installment."
Some players are frustrated and confused by the delay of these features, especially private lobbies and ranked modes—which are considered core components of the series' multiplayer experience by veteran players. E-Day is the first mainline entry in the series since Gears 5, which was released seven years ago.
Although the new title boasts stunning visuals and comprehensive innovations to core real-time gameplay experiences like movement systems, it remains unclear why the development timeline was so rushed, leading to the removal or delay of certain core features. Rumors suggest that developer The Coalition was simultaneously working on two smaller projects before greenlighting this new Gears of War title, both of which were ultimately cancelled.
Former Gears of War pro player Guy "Blaze" Spencer posted: "I'm willing to support The Coalition because I feel they've listened well to player feedback, and I'm curious about how E-Day will iterate going forward." Based on player feedback during the testing phase, the studio has made several balance adjustments to game mechanics and weapons, and has also announced the content update schedule for E-Day's seasonal operations.
The Competitive Ranked mode will officially launch on October 13. The first season will feature limited-time themed events such as Halloween, the 20th Anniversary of Gears of War, and Thanksgiving Celebration, with the season concluding on December 1. Afterwards, the second season, "Legacy and Beyond," will begin, focusing on the series' 20th anniversary "Classic Highlights" theme. The studio also previewed the remaining season names in the E-Day update roadmap: Season 3 "Infiltration," Season 4 "Pendulum," and Season 5 "Dedication."