Gears of War: E-Day launched yesterday with a catch: several classic features from past games are missing. Chainsaw duels, meat shields, private lobbies, leaderboards and select weapons from earlier entries in the series are all absent from the new title. The Coalition, the studio behind the game, has responded with a statement promising those features will return — but not until after launch, and possibly not until the next game entirely.
What’s Missing From E-Day
The studio’s statement lists the legacy features that aren’t present at launch. They include:
- Meat shields
- Chainsaw duels
- Select weapons from the franchise’s past
- Private lobbies and leaderboards
The Coalition explains that building the game from scratch required leaving some things out. “We started E-Day with an empty hard drive building our entire gameplay sandbox from scratch to ensure a more unified gameplay experience across Campaign, PvE and PvP,” the studio said. “This new sandbox also allowed for innovation in cover, combat and enemies.”
The trade-off, they admit, is that including every legacy feature from Gears of War was not possible for launch.
The Promise That Comes With Conditions
The studio insists those features aren’t gone forever. “Those features, like Meat Shields, Chainsaw Duels, select weapons from the franchise’s past, and online work like Private Lobbies and leaderboards – are not gone from the franchise,” the statement reads. “Our team is working hard to deliver the strongest and most stable launch experience we can with an eye to how, and what, to deliver and improve on fan-favourite features either post-launch or in our next title.”
That last bit is the key line. The Coalition is promising the features will return, but they won’t return in this game. They’ll either arrive after E-Day launches or appear in the studio’s next title.
The Story Behind the Statement
The timing of the statement is notable. The Coalition has been through a period of public controversy over layoffs, and the most recent wave saw E-Day’s story director, Juan Vaca, depart the studio.
If there is a sequel, it will presumably feel different.
The Gnasher Gets Its Own Explanation
One weapon did get special treatment. The Gnasher shotgun, one of the most iconic guns in the series, remains unchanged in E-Day. “The Gnasher is one of the most iconic and unique weapons in Gears of War,” the studio said, “we believe it always needs to be punchy, visceral and consistent every time you pull the trigger.”
The studio explained that the aiming system has evolved over time, but the core goal hasn’t changed. Every Gears game has fired the Gnasher from the camera position when aiming with the left trigger. That setup produces an accurate and predictable shot from the ADS view, and the studio says that system is not changed in E-Day.
How E-Day Arrived
E-Day is currently available for anyone who bought the Premium Edition, Premium Upgrade Edition, or Collector’s Edition version of the game. The Early Access release began yesterday, with the full game set for a general release on 6th October. Ranked PvP modes arrive on 13th October.
The first season runs for eight weeks, ending on 1st December.
The Trade-Off at Launch
The studio’s reasoning is straightforward. Building everything from scratch created a more unified experience across campaign, PvE and PvP. That meant some features had to be cut. The missing legacy features were simply not possible to include at launch.
Players who want those features will have to wait. The statement offers no timeline beyond “post-launch” or “in our next title.”
What We Make of It
The promise is small comfort for players who wanted everything now. The studio is careful to say the features are “not gone from the franchise,” and that’s the only official line.
Whether players agree depends on how badly they wanted those features at launch.
Key Dates to Watch
- Early Access release: launched yesterday
- General release: 6th October
- Ranked PvP modes: 13th October
- First season end: 1st December
The next few months will tell whether the studio’s gamble pays off.
See the video the story is built around at Eurogamer.
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