E-Day Frames Marcus & Dom’s Post-Pendulum Wars Grief

The Gears of War franchise will take fans back to where it all began in E-Day, supplying a slew of origin stories including the Locust’s invasion and even the Chainsaw Lancer’s roots. Another point of interest that will be explored thoroughly is the making of Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago’s brotherhood, explored during their time of grief after the Pendulum Wars.

This prequel has been in development since the Xbox 360 days, but a former creative lead believed E-Day wouldn’t have thrived on that system and thought Unreal Engine 5’s technology was the right software to bring the narrative to life on the desired scale. It may have taken a few generations to bring this idea to fruition, but the devs think it was worth the wait.

Gears Of War Devs Consider E-Day To Be A “Rich Storytelling Space”

During an interview with GamesRadar, after the Xbox Games Showcase aired, creative director Matt Searcy and brand director Nicole Fawcette discussed the origins covered in E-Day and the widespread city on offer. In particular, the game’s city allowed the team to enhance the combat, level design, and characters.

At the center of E-Day’s action, narrative, and emotional stakes are Marcus and Dom, whose friendship is going to be a very different journey in this entry. Since the story picks up after the Pendulum Wars, Marcus and Dom’s grief will be explored after “they’ve already experienced some loss”. Regarding the death of Dom’s brother and Marcus’ friend, Carlos, Fawcette confirmed “They’re dealing with that grief and they haven’t really bonded as the best friends that you know them as in the original trilogy.”

Covering this unexplored part of Gears of War, Fawcette ensures fans “You’ve never seen them go through this kind of story before,” and teased fans have “never heard the duo quite like this before either”. The director was asked if voice actors John DiMaggio and Carlos Ferro were returning to the roles of Marcus and Dom, but Fawcette remained tight-lipped, saying “Unfortunately, we don’t talk about our talent process here while we are in development, so we can’t share any of those details today.”

Ultimately, E-Day serves as an “origin story of the bond that defines the franchise” and pulls the focus back to Marcus and Dom in the series after the outcome of Gears of War 3. Fans should prepare to receive significant insight into the pair’s relationship, as Fawcette states, “The friendship that you played through in the original trilogy is so enduring, but when you play E-Day it’s not going to be exactly as you remember it.”

Lastly, this new installment will be set 14 years before the events of the original Gears game, following the fallout of the titular “Emergence Day”. Since the details surrounding this time haven’t been mapped out thoroughly, Searcy considered the creative process behind this title to be a real narrative playground, saying “There’s not a lot out there, so this is a rich storytelling space for us to enter. We follow E-Day from the perspective of the people there, and we get to be very intimate with the characters. It’s a cool way to come back to the Locust and re-enter that period.”

Gears of War: E-Day is reportedly targeting a 2025 release date.

Next

Gears Of War: E-Day Is Exactly What Lapsed Fans Like Me Needed

For the first time in a long time, I’m excited for Gears of War.