Vancouver-based developer The Coalition will be using Unreal Engine 5 to power its future projects including a new Gears 6 installment.
According to an announcement made earlier today, The Coalition has started shifting all of its resources to “next-generation development” using Unreal Engine 5. The developer has confirmed that there are “multiple new projects” in the pipelines for the coming years and as such, the Gears of War franchise will “always be at the front of Unreal Engine development.”
Gears 5 will hence be the last installment to make use of Unreal Engine 4. The new Unreal Engine 5 will from hereon be powering not only Gears 6 but also other projects not limited to Gears of War spin-offs and the like.
“Shifting to a new engine is a big undertaking, so we want to be clear that we will not be announcing any new projects or titles for some time,” said The Coalition. That being said, Gears 5 players can still expect more content on the way through Operations 7 and 8 where each Operation will feature new characters, new maps, and special events.
Take note that Gears 5 was announced in 2018 and was released in 2019. If The Coalition makes no announcement for the remainder of 2021, Gears of War fans can expect a new Gears 6 to drop somewhere in late 2023 (or perhaps 2024) by the earliest for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.
The Coalition has been helming Gears of War since Xbox Game Studios acquired the franchise from Epic Games several years back. The first-party Microsoft developer has since then pushed Gears of War: Ultimate Edition and Gears of War 4 in 2015 and 2016 respectively, Gears 5 in 2019, and Gears Tactics, its first strategy title, in 2020.
The Coalition has also been helping out developer 343 Industries with Halo Infinite and which should keep it busy for the remainder of the year or at least once Halo Infinite launches around the 2021 holiday season.
