Gears of War developer will show off an Unreal Engine 5 demo at GDC

Gears of War
(Image credit: The coalition)

Gears of War developer The Coalition is going to show off a demo created in Unreal Engine 5 at GDC.

The GDC panel, which is set to run for an hour, is going to be presented on July 20 at 1:20 PM PT. The demo is called Alpha Point and will showcase how The Coalition has fared working with the Unreal Engine 5 technology, what the studio learned about it in a development environment, and the technology it's taken advantage of. You won't be able to access the panel unless you have a pass for the show though.

It's important to note that this will not be a showcase of anything The Coalition is actively working on, at least in terms of a brand new game. This is purely a tech demo being made to showcase what the studio can achieve with the engine. So, don't expect anything Gears of War or new IP-related from the developer. 

However, it will be useful for developers to see exactly what can be done with the powerful new technology in a capacity outside of Epic Games. We've already seen Unreal Engine 5 in use in a showcase from the Fortnite developer last year, but this will demonstrate what can be done in other hands. 

That means, even if you aren't a developer, while there will be a lot of technical jargon, you will be able to get a sense of what truly next-gen games look like running in Unreal Engine 5. A session description confirms the demo will be running entirely on the Xbox Series X, meaning that it will literally show off what is possible on the console. 

While fans won't get a look at a new Gears of War here, this demo should at least give players some insight on what's coming. The Coalition has moved over to Unreal Engine 5 for future games. All in all, it should be a fascinating glimpse whether you are a developer interested in working with the engine or just a game enthusiast looking for a glimpse at the future of games.

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Guides Editor at TechRadar

Patrick Dane is currently the Guides Editor at TechRadar. However, he was formerly a freelance games journalist writing for sites and publications such as GamesRadar, Metro, IGN, Eurogamer, PC Gamer, and the International Business Times, among others. He was also once the Managing Editor for Bleeding Cool.