Interview
October 1, 2026
Gears of War: E-Day sees a return to dark, survival-horror roots with UE5
It’s been seven years since the release of Gears 5—the last major main-series Gears of War installment in the legendary franchise developed by The Coalition. For fans, that long wait will finally be over with the upcoming launch of Gears of War: E-Day.
Eagerly anticipated for its return to the series’ dark, gritty survival-horror roots, this prequel takes players back to Emergence Day, 14 years before the original game is set. We’re dropped straight into the early hours of chaos as the Locust Horde suddenly erupts from underground in a massive surprise attack, catching a young Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago off guard.
Early glimpses of the game reveal an absorbing narrative with classic cover-based combat enhanced by modern movement mechanics, destructible environments, and semi-open city block exploration with optional side objectives.
This latest instalment is also notable as the first in the franchise that has been developed using Unreal Engine 5. The Coalition leaned heavily into the engine’s latest features to create a game that is visually stunning—from the ultra-realistic lighting brought by Lumen and MegaLights to film-quality assets courtesy of Nanite.
We caught up with Kate Rayner, Studio Technical Director at The Coalition, to explore how the team used UE5 to evolve the gameplay, environments, cinematics, animation, and beyond—while recapturing the desperate “destroyed beauty” aesthetic of the original games. Check out the interview below.
Eagerly anticipated for its return to the series’ dark, gritty survival-horror roots, this prequel takes players back to Emergence Day, 14 years before the original game is set. We’re dropped straight into the early hours of chaos as the Locust Horde suddenly erupts from underground in a massive surprise attack, catching a young Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago off guard.
Early glimpses of the game reveal an absorbing narrative with classic cover-based combat enhanced by modern movement mechanics, destructible environments, and semi-open city block exploration with optional side objectives.
This latest instalment is also notable as the first in the franchise that has been developed using Unreal Engine 5. The Coalition leaned heavily into the engine’s latest features to create a game that is visually stunning—from the ultra-realistic lighting brought by Lumen and MegaLights to film-quality assets courtesy of Nanite.
We caught up with Kate Rayner, Studio Technical Director at The Coalition, to explore how the team used UE5 to evolve the gameplay, environments, cinematics, animation, and beyond—while recapturing the desperate “destroyed beauty” aesthetic of the original games. Check out the interview below.