Gears of War: E-Day goes for a hybrid open world and promises not to repeat Gears 5

The Coalition has laid its cards on the table regarding the structure of Gears of War: E-Day. In an interview with Vandal at Gamescom, Aryan Hanbeck, the studio's senior art director, confirmed that the prequel will have an open world, but not in the style of a conventional sandbox: the plan is a hybrid structure that combines linear sections with open spaces to explore, always returning to the close-quarters combat corridors that define the series.

The news matters because it touches a wound many fans still remember. Gears 5 already experimented with wide areas and the result split the community: some enjoyed the breathing room, others felt the pacing fell apart. For the studio to openly admit it learned from that, that it saw what worked and what didn't, is a level of self-criticism we don't always see from an Xbox first-party studio.

What you need to know

• Gears of War: E-Day will have an open world, but with a hybrid structure: multiple linear sections that lead into open exploration areas.
• The city of Kalona is the main setting, taking place right as the Locust emerge, in other words, the Emergence Day that gives the game its name.
• The Coalition says it learned a lot from Gears 5 when designing these spaces and the overall structure.
• Linear spaces focused on classic gameplay will remain the core, because, in the studio's words, it's a Gears of War game.
• The purpose of the open world is narrative: to make the player connect with the horror the people of Kalona are going through.

What changes compared to Gears 5

Gears 5 introduced acts with open areas that the player crossed aboard the Skiff, looking for side missions and upgrades for Jack. It was the series' first attempt to break away from total linearity, and while the ambition was welcome, the execution left stretches with little content density and a jarring contrast with the more enclosed acts. That is the direct precedent Hanbeck is referring to when he says they saw what worked with an open space and what didn't.

The difference E-Day proposes is one of intent. Instead of selling the openness as extra content, The Coalition justifies it through the story: Kalona has to feel like a living city falling apart, and for the player to empathize with its inhabitants they need to be able to move through it and witness the catastrophe up close. That changes the design from the ground up, because the open space stops being a hub full of icons and becomes an emotional vehicle.

Who this affects

For those who play the campaign for the story, the promise is a more immersive Gears with more dramatic weight. For those looking for pure action, the studio insists the classic linear sections are still there. The risk, as always with these hybrids, is that neither group ends up fully satisfied if the transition between the two parts isn't well balanced.

Our take

Here at the Underworld Lordz newsroom we'll say it plainly: we're glad The Coalition isn't trying to turn Gears into yet another generic open world full of towers and map markers. The series was born from cover, from the rhythm of one encounter to the next and from the tension of enclosed spaces. Having the art director himself stress that gameplay-focused linear spaces aren't going anywhere is exactly what we wanted to hear. But we also know that good intentions in a Gamescom interview guarantee nothing: Gears 5 was also sold as an evolution and its open portion ended up being the most forgettable part of the game.

For the competitive scene, what matters is something else. Everything being communicated revolves around the campaign, and so far there isn't a single word about multiplayer, which is where Gears keeps a loyal but ever-shrinking community. If the studio pours its budget into building a massive Kalona and Versus mode arrives with minimal effort, the series will lose what little competitive relevance it has left. Team players and content creators who make a living from PvP need signals, and there aren't any yet.

For creators, on the other hand, a story-driven open world is a gift: more moments to capture, more places to discover and more reasons to make content beyond pure gameplay. Our stance is cautious optimism: the messaging is right, the execution remains to be seen.

What do you think?

Do you think a Gears with open areas can keep the intensity that made the series great, or would you rather E-Day went back to the pure linearity of the early games? Let us know in the team chat or on our Discord.