Gears 6 Detour: E-Day’s Impact on the Future of Gears Tactics

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In the not too distant time, gamers playing on Xbox and PC platforms can rejoin the intense battles of the Gears of War series with The Coalition’s upcoming game, “Gears of War: E-Day”. This new release will take players back to the start of the Locust War on Emergence Day, as they embody a younger Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago.

Although the launch date and storyline for the upcoming game titled “E-Day” remain undisclosed, The Coalition might choose to delve deeper into the era of the Locust War prior to creating “Gears of War 6“. By doing so, they could create a sequel that spiritually follows the five-year-old spin-off. This hypothetical “Gears of War” game could potentially be a real-time strategy (RTS) title, serving as the successor to “Gears: Tactics“.

The Development and History of Gears Tactics

The creation of Gears Tactics commenced approximately in 2016, around the launch of The Coalition’s inaugural Gears of War game, Gears of War 4. To broaden the franchise’s appeal and possibly entice new admirers, especially PC gamers, they decided to transform Gears of War into a turn-based tactics genre. The cover-based combat in Gears of War seemed to align perfectly with the turn-based tactics gameplay, as Alex Grimbley, the executive producer of Gears Tactics, mentioned that the teams at Splash Damage and The Coalition merely adjusted Gears’ third-person camera angle to mimic a common view in tactics games. Despite the development of Tactics being slowed by the outbreak of COVID-19, developers received guidance from 343 Industries, who developed the RTS spin-off series Halo Wars based on the mainline first-person Halo games.

At E3 2018, alongside Gears 5 and Gears Pop!, Gears Tactics was unveiled and officially launched on April 28th, 2020 for PCs. It was then ported to Xbox consoles in November of the same year. However, Gears Tactics isn’t the first tactics-based Gears of War project. Back in 2011, Epic Games experimented with several projects using the new Kinect accessory for the Xbox 360. One of these projects was Gears of War: Tactics, an RTS game where players controlled and directed COG troops through voice and hand gestures using the Kinect. Regrettably, Gears of War: Tactics never progressed beyond the alpha stage, but screenshots and footage from the game were leaked in 2013.

Gears Tactics’ Story Explained

Although Gears Tactics and Gears of War: Tactics may sound alike, they are not connected in terms of storyline. The story for Gears of War: Tactics remains unclear, while the plot in Gears Tactics unfolds a year after Emergence Day and 13 years prior to the events of Gears of War 1. Players control COG Sgt. Gabriel Diaz, who is tasked by Chairman Richard Prescott and Major Sid Redburn with assassinating the Locust scientist Ukkon. Throughout their mission, Diaz and Redburn rescue civilians stranded during the conflict and uncover that the COG was behind the creation of these very same civilians as a biological weapon. To retaliate, they stage their own deaths, eliminating Ukkon with the aid of a young woman named Reyna, who would later become Diaz’s wife, mother to Kait Diaz, and daughter of the Locust Queen Myrrah.

Among all the spin-offs of the Gears of War series, only Gears Tactics deviates from the conventional third-person shooter gameplay, with the exception of the non-canonical Gears Pop!.

The Potential of a Gears Tactics RTS Successor

In contrast to the generally favorable criticisms garnered by “Gears Tactics”, its sales performance was not as impressive as that of its third-person counterparts, largely due to its tactical gameplay. With the return of “Gears of War: E-Day” taking players back to the start of the Locust War, The Coalition might leverage the events from “Tactics” to introduce a new real-time strategy (RTS) “Gears” game that covers multiple frontlines during the early years of the war. This RTS game could follow in the footsteps of “Halo Wars” series developed by 343 Industries, Ensemble Studios, and Creative Assembly, featuring commanders and leaders from various factions commanding troops. It could also draw inspiration from gameplay mechanics proposed in “Gears of War: Tactics” and the vehicle-centric focus initially intended for early versions of “Gears of War 1”.

In the narrative for the Gears of War RTS, the storyline could pick up where Tactics left off, dealing with the aftermath of Ukkon’s Imulsion-altered Locust and Hollow creatures continuing their rampage. Meanwhile, Diaz and his comrades would still be struggling to survive against the Locust threat on their own. Concurrently, part of the game could focus on a new COG general who is tasked with defending a couple of cities from attacks by General RAAM and other Locust leaders. Both Diaz and this COG general would serve as main characters. Diaz’s forces would primarily consist of infantry units, while the general would have command over ground and air vehicles.

Potential Multiplayer and DLC for a Gears of War RTS

Much like how Halo Wars 2 has additional story DLCs, a Gears of War RTS might follow suit with expansions that delve into different narratives. One possible scenario could involve a UIR remnant battling the Locust, while another may let players command Locust forces, similar to the way players controlled Banished forces in Halo Wars 2’s Awakening the Nightmare DLC. Unlike Gears Tactics, which lacked co-op and multiplayer modes, a Gears RTS could include both features. The multiplayer mode might allow players to command leaders from the campaign and Gears expanded media, such as Colonel Hoffman, Skorge, and Queen Myrrah. Each leader could introduce unique troops and vehicles for players to utilize in their quests to gather Imulsion and resources to fortify their bases.

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2025-04-28 13:34