Beta
Gears of War: E-Day has made an explosive debut on PC, with its open beta already smashing every previous Steam record held by the long-running franchise. The first stage of the beta rolled out and immediately drew a massive wave of players, signaling a renewed and enthusiastic interest in the series among PC gamers.
The Coalition has pulled back the curtain on Gears of War: E-Day's multiplayer suite, giving select press roughly 10 hours with a network test build and formally unveiling Horde Siege, a reworked take on the beloved cooperative mode that supports up to 12 players simultaneously. Horde Siege appears to build on the franchise's classic wave-defense formula with smarter design decisions and a larger player count, though early hands-on impressions suggest the mode still raises questions about its long-term depth. Competitive multiplayer, meanwhile, is drawing comparisons to the Xbox 360 era of the series, with outlets like IGN and CGMagazine noting that The Coalition has made several smart gameplay changes that help the experience feel like a genuine return to form.
Xbox executives have made another attempt to explain the company's increasingly muddled approach to console exclusives, acknowledging that the current strategy is not exactly "obvious" to players. The platform holder confirmed that Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will remain Xbox console exclusives, and teased a third unannounced exclusive title on the way. The clarification comes amid widespread confusion over why some first-party titles, like Halo, are heading to PlayStation 5 while others are staying locked to Xbox hardware.