The Coalition has confirmed some major news for Gears of War: E-Day.
They made the announcement in the official Gears of War Twitter account:
“On today’s 18th anniversary of Gears of War, we’re proud to share that John DiMaggio and Carlos Ferro are reprising their roles as the iconic voices of Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago in Gears of War: E-Day.”
Both DiMaggio and Ferro are longtime veterans in voice acting, and their returns definitely lend credence to the notion that this title is a true return to classic Gears of War.
DiMaggio, of course, is a highly accomplished actor, whose presence has touched everyone’s childhood since the 1990s. With his career starting in Liquid Television’s The Head, his curriculum vitae includes Bender from Futurama, Dr. Drakken from Kim Possible, Jake the Dog from Adventure Time, and Uncle Arthur in the Super Mario Bros. Movie.
In the world of video games, DiMaggio played Wakka in Final Fantasy X, Smiling Jack in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, Uka Uka in the Crash Bandicoot games, Banshee-44 in Destiny, and Dr. Boom in Hearthstone.
Ferro has been a producer, screenwriter, and director aside from his acting career. His video game work started with 2002’s X-Men: Next Dimension as Forge, and would include playing Leonardo da Vinci in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Michael Corleone in the Godfather II video game, and various minor roles in games as varied as the first Saints Row, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, and Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland.
Both actors are in their 50s, and still very much capable of reprising these roles from back when their characters are still younger. There may even be an advantage to having actors these seasoned coming back to play these roles from a key point in the franchise’s storyline.
Gears of War: E-Day was first revealed last June, as the key announcement of this year’s Xbox Games Showcase. After three games that explored the story of a new generation of Coalition soldiers, Gears of War: E-Day promised a return to the original characters of the first trilogy.
Of course, the original developers of the Gears of War games, Epic Games, are now permanently committed to Fortnite, but even the current team making Gears of War: E-Day is made up mostly of newer developers. We had reported on how The Coalition went through reshuffling close to the game’s announcement, with creative director Matt Searcy now moving up in a leadership position.
So far, all these emerging details for Gears of War: E-Day have been positive. We’ll see if the game ultimately lives up to our expectations.
