'Gears of War 4' Release Date: Title Comes Sooner than Expected

By Juvy Garcia, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, January 12, 2016

An unexpected but positive update to the "Gears of War 4" release date has just been made. The game could come sooner than expected, according to representatives from Microsoft.

During a Twitch livestream for the "Gears of War" Pro League Finals on Sunday, Jan. 10, producer Rod Fergusson touched briefly on the game's new release window. Fergusson stated that the "Gears of War 4" release date is now slated to be in "fall 2016." The new release date is in line with that of Microsoft's 2016 lineup of Xbox One exclusives, according to Inquisitr.

The third-person shooter game was originally expected to release for "holiday 2016." The previous holiday release window placed the "Gears of War 4" release date in November, ahead of Thanksgiving and Black Friday, whereas a fall release window places the game's release date between the end of September and mid-December.

For those who think fall is too far off, there's an earlier opportunity to play "Gears of War 4." This is through the beta that's available for those who bought the "Gears of War Ultimate Edition." Come spring, "Gears of War 4" beta will be open to the more than 1 million gamers who bought the Ultimate Edition. Other details about the upcoming "Gears of War 4" beta is scarce at the moment.

According to GameSpot, the livestream also revealed that nearly half of the Ultimate Edition players are new to the "Gears of War" series. Although it would normally be a good thing, the publication notes this could be due to the Xbox One Black Friday sale that bundled the "Gears of War: Ultimate Edition" to the console.

Despite this, demand for "Gears of War" is certainly present. Fergusson also revealed during the livestream that four of the nine most popular backwards compatible games were "Gears of War" titles, specifically "Gears of War," "Gears of War 2," "Gears of War 3," and "Gears of War: Judgment."