Gears of War 4 takes place 25 years after the events of Gears of War 3, Microsoft has confirmed. The game offers three new playable characters, including Marcus Fenix’s son.
These details have been revealed thanks to the latest Game Informer cover story, with the GameStop-owned publication getting exclusive access to the upcoming shooter.
The game’s primary protagonist and Marcus Fenix’s son is called JD Fenix and is described as being an idealist who ran away from home in order to sign up for the COG military. JD then goes AWOL following a classified incident you learn about as you play through the game.
Other playable characters include Delmon “Del” Walker, a former COG soldier who befriended Fenix at boarding school, and Kait Diaz. Fenix is voiced by Liam McIntyre from the TV show Spartacus while Del is portrayed by Eugene Byrd who played Marcus “Boomer” Boone in Battlefield Hardline, and Kait is played by Laura Bailey who World of Warcraft players may recognise as the voice of Jaina Proudmoore.
Game Informer’s report says Gears of War 4 developer The Coalition is attempting to return to the series’ “darker, horror-themed roots”. There will be a new “close-cover melee system” and two player co-op is also confirmed.
Gears of War 4 was officially announced during Microsoft’s E3 media briefing last year. At the time, Microsoft said the game represented the start “of a new saga”. The company recently suggested that Gears of War 4 could also come to PC, which seems likely given Microsoft’s emerging strategy of combining the two platforms into a single eco-system.