Gears of War: E-Day: People Can Fly Announced as Co-Developers

Poland-based game studio People Can Fly has been announced as the co-developer of the upcoming Gears of War: E-Day alongside The Coalition.

In a press release People Can Fly says it is “honored to return to the world of Gears of War[.]” The studio previously served as the lead developer of Gears of War: Judgment after co-developing Gears of War 1-3. “Returning to collaborate on the next chapter of this ligendary saga is both a privilege and an exciting opportunity to build upon the intense, visceral action and rich storytelling that fans have come to love.”

Gears of War: E-Day was announced at last year’s Xbox Showcase and is set to be a prequel to the original trilogy starring younger versions of characters like Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago. And yes, the original actors will be returning to reprise their roles.

The game will cover the origins of the Locust invasion on Emergence Day. In a sit down with IGN, Brand Director Nicole Fawcette and Creative Director Matt Searcy said that the goal is to focus on the horror elements from the original trilogy. “What if the ground opened up and monsters came out? Yeah, it’s set on a fictional, other planet, but there are very human reactions and stories we get to tell,” Searcy tells IGN. “To do that, we need to be able to tell a story that feels like a horror story.”

People Can Fly was founded in 2002 and became known for games like Bullestorm and Painkiller. Epic Games acquired the studio in 2007, briefly renaming the studio Epic Games Poland, before the company spun off independently under its old name and logo.

Gears of War: E-Day will be the studio’s next major game after the launch of Outriders in 2021. Be sure to check out our op-ed on why Gears of War needs to rediscover its blockbuster levels of entertainment again with E-Day.

Matt Kim is IGN’s Senior Features Editor.