Microsoft and The Coalition may be preparing to unveil the next entry in the long-running Gears of War franchise later this year at the Xbox Games Showcase. The last entry in the series, Gears 5, debuted in 2019 on the Xbox One generation of consoles and PC before being ported to Xbox Series X|S later. A new entry would finally bring the series to the current console generation as a native release.
The report comes from The Verge"s Tom Warren, who has spoken to sources familiar with Microsoft"s upcoming gaming plans. Per the report, Microsoft"s next summer games showcase is slated to kick off on June 9. The yearly Xbox Games Showcase is Microsoft"s biggest event for announcing new games on its platforms as well as providing updates on in-development projects. Microsoft hasn"t announced an official date for this year"s event just yet.
According to the report, the new Gears game is supposed to be announced during this showcase. Following the conclusion of Gears 5"s development, The Coalition confirmed back in 2021 its move to using Unreal Engine 5 for its future projects. While multiple games were apparently in development at the studio, a report from last year stated that only the Gears of War project remained in active development after cancelations.
The report also says the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase will unveil the next Call of Duty from Activision, which is now under Microsoft"s gaming wing. The entry is rumored to be titled Black Ops: Gulf War and focused on the CIA"s operations during that time. Lastly, the Xbox Showcase will reportedly feature the release dates of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Avowed, as well as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, all titles that have been in development at Xbox Game Studios for years now but without confirmed launch schedules.
As usual, take this information with a grain of salt until Microsoft announces any official details on its upcoming showcases and games in development.