The Xbox Portfolio
The Gears of War: E-Day developers at The Coalition say they are proud to be one of Xbox's main titles as Microsoft refocuses on exclusivity.
Studio art director Aryan Hanbeck and creative director Matt Searcy opened up about The Coalition's place in the Xbox portfolio during an interview. Searcy said he and the rest of the team were proud when asked how they feel about Gears of War: E-Day's status as an Xbox exclusive.
Well, we feel great because Gears has such a long, storied history. It's part of Xbox's DNA. It's woven into it, he said. At The Coalition, we feel pretty honored to have Gears and be the ones bringing that legacy forward. We know how much it means to people. We know how much it means to us.
Platform Exclusivity
Gears of War: E-Day is firmly a console exclusive, though there was considerable confusion surrounding platform availability prior to official announcements. The once-Xbox-exclusive franchise previously saw a remaster arrive on PlayStation consoles, leading some to speculate that future entries would follow suit.
Rumors were officially addressed when Xbox leadership declared that the Emergence Day prequel story would release exclusively on Xbox Series X/S and PC. The decision arrived alongside a broader corporate push for more first-party exclusive games.
Following online speculation regarding potential port cancellations, the company noted that platform choices were deliberate. While Searcy stated it brought the studio joy to lead Microsoft's renewed interest in exclusives, prioritizing game quality remained the primary focus.
Development Focus
I think this is true of most game devs: You're just passionate about your craft, he said. We're all gamers first and foremost. We love making games. We love making Gears. So, from our perspective, we just wanted to make the best possible Gears game we could.
He continued: We know how much Xbox means to a lot of people. We're proud to be one of Xbox's main titles, and it's pretty cool to show up now and fill that role again.
Gears of War: E-Day launched in early access for Premium Edition players on PC and Xbox Series X/S, with a full release following shortly after.
