Gears of War: E-Day PlayStation release might’ve already been debunked

Five years after The Coalition delivered the middling Gears 5, the developer is finally 'gearing' up for the next chapter in the saga. While there are hopes we'll one day move forward to continue Kait and Marcus' story, we're first heading back to the start with Gears of War: E-Day.

Set some 14 years before the events of 2006's beloved Gears of War, E-Day takes us to the titular Emergence Day as Sgt. Marcus Fenix and Cpl. Dominic Santiago fight to save humanity. Although we know the world goes to sh*t, E-Day looks like it'll be a true evolution of the series that's built in Unreal Engine 5.

Gears of War: E-Day PlayStation rumours quickly shot down

While not quite up there with Halo in terms of Microsoft exclusives, the Gears name has been a mainstay of Xbox's first-party releases. Sony has long held the crown for its exclusives, with the likes of God of War and The Last of Us alone being enough of a reason for some to buy a PlayStation.

We know that Microsoft is changing lanes in terms of exclusivity, as former Xbox-only titles like Sea of Thieves and Grounded have already found a new home under the blue hue of Sony. It's unclear where we draw the line, and even though we're told Starfield likely won't be coming anytime soon, it's not been ruled out.

Microsoft is already sharing its toys in the aftermath of the Activision Blizzard King deal, with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 still coming to PlayStation. Still, with Gears of War: E-Day having the potential to be a major first-party release, could it really come to the Xbox's biggest rival?

Gamers have noted that The Coalition is recruiting a  Senior Online Client Engineer for Gears of War: E-Day. The ideal candidate will "help build the multiplayer and online experience," with additional work on "in-game economies and commerce, session management, player statistics, user generated content, and matchmaking."

The mention of previous experience with Xbox Live, Steam, and the PlayStation Network (PSN) has set tongues wagging, with some taking this to mean a PlayStation release is also on the cards. When this started doing the rounds on the GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit, not everyone was convinced. 

One sceptic said, "That's pretty standard jargon and not indicative of platforms they plan for, they just want people familiar with online platforms. They don't want some new person with zero experience in any online platforms."

Another added, "People looking for anything at this point to spread misinformation about Microsoft," and a third said, "It's literally for experience in those networks. It’s like you’re hiring workers at a McDonald’s and you want experience so you’ll list multiple fast food brands. A nothingburger."

Others were willing to keep an open mind, with a fourth concluding, "If they're gonna release a Gears on PS then a prequel would make the most sense, because absolutely no prior series knowledge is required, and also because it can be developed alongside the Xbox version. There is no need to have a separate team work on a port of the original games."

Microsoft is powering forward with its Project Latitude initiative to share some of its biggest titles, although The Verge's Tom Warren previously suggested Gears of War wouldn't be part of it. There's still no release for E: Day, and with time on The Coaltition's side, anything could change.