Gears of War: E-Day is rewinding the clocks, but The Coalition hints it still has eyes on Gears 6: "We're not retreating from that storyline in any way"

Fans of oversized soldiers and chainsaw-guns might be surprised to hear that Gears of War: E-Day, the iconic series' next outing, isn't continuing the story leftover from the previous two games. But don't worry, developer The Coalition has no plans to simply abandon Kait Diaz and Co.

Rather than serving as a Gears of War 6, Gears of War: E-Day is throwing it back to Emergence Day - the day when the subterranean Locust army popped out of the ground and invaded Sera 14 years before the events of 2006's first Gears of War game - with Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago returning to the spotlight.

While that's an exciting concept in isolation, it also means the narrative that started in Gears 4 and Gears 5 will remain unfinished for a while longer. If you're anything like me, you're probably itching to get back to Gears 5's agonizing cliffhanger and main gal Kait Diaz - and it now sounds like we'll get that resolution... at some point.

"We're super proud about Gears 4 and Gears 5 and the stories that were told," series brand director Nicole Fawcette tells Xbox Wire. The Coalition is supposedly "not retreating from that storyline in any way," but the opportunity to fill in some Gears Gaps was "too good to miss."

Thankfully, despite descending down the prequel hole, the studio is still evolving the almost 20-year-old series in fresh ways. For example, the Locust are more "mysterious, formidable and overwhelming" this time around. The trailer has a younger Marcus struggling to defend himself against one of the uglies - a stark contrast to the way he mows 'em down in later games. But we'll need to wait until Gears of War: E-Day launches on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Game Pass to get the full picture.

See everything else announced at the Xbox Games Showcase for an overview of all the games and reveals.