# Gears of War: E-Day launches amid Xbox upheaval

> A confident new prequel arrives as Microsoft's gaming division undergoes dramatic restructuring and job cuts.
- Title: Gears of War: E-Day launches amid Xbox upheaval · The Verge
- Summary: A confident new prequel arrives as Microsoft's gaming division undergoes dramatic restructuring and job cuts. Gears of War: E-Day is a strong action game…
- Keywords: gears of war, gears of war: e-day, xbox, microsoft, video games, action games, the coalition, asha sharma, xbox layoffs, technology, culture, Gears
- Source: The Verge — https://theverge.com/games/1002768/gears-of-war-eday-review-xbox
- Author: Andrew Webster
- Published: 2026-10-01T13:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: gears of war, gears of war: e-day, xbox, microsoft, video games, action games, the coalition, asha sharma, xbox layoffs, technology, culture
## A confident action game
Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel that knows exactly what it wants to be: a brutal, tense, self-aware cover shooter. Twenty years after the original, it still hits hard.
## Set before emergence day
The game is set fourteen years before the original Gears of War, telling the story of emergence day, when the Locust Horde revealed itself with a surprise attack on humanity.
## You play as Marcus Fenix
You play as a younger Marcus Fenix, a soldier in an elite group called gears. He and his squad fight back against subterranean extraterrestrials attacking the human planet Sera.
## Visceral cover shooter action
The cover shooter action is visceral and tense. Everything has weight, from Marcus' slow movements to reloading a shotgun. The game nails the feeling of being pinned down in war.
## Pacing never lets up
E-Day mixes huge set-pieces where the world crumbles with quiet moments in dark tunnels. The largely linear world pushes you through sequences with pacing that never really lets up.
## Intentionally stupid writing
The story is straightforward, and much of the writing feels intentionally stupid. Pivotal moments are punctuated by ridiculous one-liners like "A giant floating ballsack with glowing eyes is trying to kill us!"

> A giant floating ballsack with glowing eyes is trying to kill us!
## Joyous barks during combat
Marcus and his comrades shout lines like "Too ugly to live," "Rest in pieces," and "Lights out, fuckface" as they mow down enemies. There's a strangely joyous nature to the dialogue.

> Lights out, fuckface.
## A 2006 game with 2026 tech
E-Day is a two thousand six version of Gears rendered with the technology of twenty twenty-six. It's a pure action game that isn't saddled by modern trends.
## Xbox in the midst of reset
Xbox is undergoing a reset under new CEO Asha Sharma, who is gutting the division, slashing around three thousand two hundred jobs, and reshaping how studios operate.
## Focus on biggest franchises
Sharma's ultimate goal is focusing entirely on Xbox's biggest franchises to reach a billion players. E-Day appears to represent a shift back to Xbox console exclusives.
## The Coalition faced layoffs
E-Day developer The Coalition was hit with at least one layoff before launch, and staff fear more are coming. Xbox's strategic plans shift constantly.
## Uncertain future for Xbox
E-Day offers an enticing vision of Xbox's future, but it might not be enough for whatever comes next. Xbox's new leadership says it wants to focus on higher priority projects.
## Key takeaway

Gears of War: E-Day is a strong action game launching October sixth on PC and Xbox, but arrives during Xbox's turbulent reset under new leadership.