If you were tuning into Xbox Games Showcase 2025 hoping to see Gears of War: E-Day, you may have been left disappointed. Today’s show was light on Microsoft’s biggest franchises — with nothing from Forza, Halo or the upcoming Fable reboot.
Instead, Xbox boss Phil Spencer promised that 2026 would be the year Gears of War: E-Day arrives, alongside the next Forza game, as the Xbox brand celebrates its 25th anniversary.
The next chapter in Xbox’s veteran Gears of War series was formally announced a year ago, at the Xbox Games Showcase 2024. E-Day will be a prequel set 14 years before the original Gears of War game, and an origin story for classic heroes Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, voiced once again by John DiMiaggio and Carlos Ferro.
“Gears of War: E-Day is not just our next major game; it’s a return to what makes Gears of War games special and authentic,” Coalition studio boss Mike Crump said previously. Earlier this year, Bulletstorm and Gears of War: Judgment studio People Can Fly was announced as a co-developer on E-Day, alongside Xbox’s own studio The Coalition.
Until next year, fans have Gears of War: Reloaded, a remake of the series’ original title, to look forward to, which launches for PC, Xbox Series X/S — and, for the first time, PlayStation 5 — on August 26.
Today’s Xbox Games Showcase also featured a tease by Phil Spencer of a long-awaited return for Halo, with potentially a remaster of the series’ original title. For more, check out everything announced at Xbox Games Showcase June 2025.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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