Gears of War Xbox One Release: 5 Things to Know Before E3

In the buildup to E3 2015, we’ve heard quite a few rumors about the Gears of War series and more specifically, about an Xbox One Gears of War release. With just days to go before one of the year’s biggest events, we want to take a look at what Xbox One owners need to know about Gears of War right now.

Its been ten years since the release of the first Gears of War. Its been more than two years since Microsoft released Gears of War: Judgement, the fourth installment in the popular series that puts players in the shoes of COG soldiers. Fans of the series have been getting antsy in the years since the last Gears of War release, especially those that have upgraded to Microsoft’s Xbox One.

Microsoft still hasn’t confirmed a Gears of War for Xbox One release though rumors leading up to E3 have pointed to several potential announcements. It’s clear, from where we’re sitting at least, that Microsoft and its subsidies have something in development and that something (or some things) appears to be an Xbox One Gears of War title.

With just a few days to go before Microsoft takes the stage in Los Angeles, we want to take a look at the most important things Gears of War enthusiasts and Xbox One owners need to know about the Gears of War release for the Xbox One. It’s looking like E3 2015 is going to play an important role in the progress of the series and this will set you up ahead of Microsoft’s highly anticipated press conference.

Microsoft E3 Press Conference

The first thing you need to know ahead of E3 is that Microsoft has a massive press conference planned for the event. And any Xbox One Gears of War announcements that are planned for E3 are probably going to take place during this press conference as Microsoft looks to wow current and prospective Xbox One owners.

Microsoft’s E3 press conference will take place in Los Angeles on Monday, June 15 and it will start at 9:30AM PST. Xbox Head Phil Spencer says that the press conference will be 90 minutes long which means that fans of the company and its IPs will likely be looking at several big announcements.

Gears of War is expected to be a part of the show though Microsoft still hasn’t confirmed what it has planned for the event. Halo 5, Forza 6 and more are likely though it’s not clear how much time the company will devote to each title.

The Coaltion

Microsoft owned Black Tusk Studios, the studio that’s reportedly working on the Gears of War series behind the scenes at Redmond’s behest, recently made a huge change.

The developer recently announced that it is changing its name from Black Tusk Studios to “The Coalition,” a name that the studio head hopes will help gamers connect it with the Gears of War series similar to how Rockstar/GTA and Bungie/Destiny are intertwined.

In short, The Coalition speaks to who we are as a team, and what it is we’re working on. A coalition is a team of diverse individuals working together for a common purpose, a concept that we feel describes our studio quite well. Fans will also recognize the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) from Gears of War lore.

The timing of the move is extremely interesting given the close proximity to the start of E3. The studio’s lead Rod Fergusson has already said that the company will be involved at E3 in some capacity though it’s still not clear what the company will be announcing.

Again, given that the studio is owned by Microsoft, there’s a good chance Fergusson takes the stage during Microsoft’s press event on June 15th.

Xbox One Gears of War Remastered

Rumors leading up to E3 have pointed to the arrival of the first Xbox One Gears of War title that’s been given names like Gears of War HD Remastered, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition or simply Gears of War HD. It’s still not clear what Microsoft will call it but what is clear is that the game is very much real and it should be the first Xbox One Gears of War release.

The Xbox One Gears of War remaster will not be an adaptation of all four Gears of War titles. Instead, it’s expected to be an update of the original Gears of War game, the game that was released for the Xbox 10 years ago.

For months, we’ve seen rumors tease the game’s release and many of its details and here’s what we know so far about the Xbox One’s first Gears of War release.

According to Polygon, multiplayer in Gears of War for Xbox One will run at 60 frames per second. The site claims to have seen screenshots of the game. In addition to the 60FPS, it says that the game features improved lighting and textures. These are common traits of remastered games for PS4 and Xbox One.

The publication also claims that the companies behind the game will include “re-worked” cut scenes that will accompany the graphical improvements. It’s not clear if this means every single cut scene or just a select few though we could learn more on June 15th.

Thanks to testers that reportedly broke Microsoft’s NDA agreements, we know that the game is real and we know that Polygon’s information is spot on.

NeoGaf users were able to view footage of the unannounced game before the clip was pulled and they suggest that it will indeed run at 60FPS and that Xbox One owners are also going to see blood and improvements to smoke effects. Polygon is still hosting a video on its website that it says lines up perfectly with what they’ve seen from the Gears of War Remastered online modes. It’s not clear if what we’re looking at is a final copy or something a little older.

Whatever the case, it looks like a Gears of War HD, Remastered, whatever you want to call it will have a presence at E3 2015 and there’s a very good chance that people in attendance will be able to go hands-on.

 

Gears of War 4 Release

The Xbox One Gears of War Remastered release is reportedly being handled by Splash Damage, the studio behind titles like Brink and Dirty Bomb. Black Tusk Studios, the company now known as The Coalition, is supposedly working on a brand new entry into the series that some are calling Gears of War 4.

Fergusson’s attendance at E3 means that we very well could see multiple Gears of War titles confirmed for the Xbox One over the course of the event. Microsoft’s already confirmed new entries into the Gears of War series and the company isn’t likely to stop after one remaster of a game that’s now 10 years old. New titles are on the way.

While the Gears of War remaster will likely be detailed in full, it’s not clear how much the companies will talk about this other game, if they talk at all. Companies will often tease big name titles with early teasers and vague details so it’s entirely possible that the game is still early enough in development that we won’t get any concrete release date details.

This is just another reason to tune into Microsoft’s E3 2015 press conference.

Xbox 360 Gears of War

If you own an Xbox 360 and you’re hoping for new Gears of War games at E3 2015, it’s about time that you tempered your expectations. There’s a very good chance that E3 will be all about the Xbox One.

The remastered will probably be for the Xbox One and the Xbox One alone. Remastered games allow developers to utilize current-gen hardware to bring older games back to life with improved graphics and details.

As for the game known as Gears of War 4, it will evidently not come to the Xbox 360 as Microsoft shifts focus to its current-gen console. This detail was confirmed by the studio involved several weeks ago and we don’t see them changing their mind.