Gears of War 4 Open Beta Now Available To Download
The open beta for Gears of War 4 is now available exclusively on the Xbox one for Xbox Live gold members. The download gives players the chance to try out the multiplayer on the latest title and experience the new weapons on two distinctive maps. It will be available until 1 May
Gears of War 4 is the first entry since Microsoft purchased the rights to the property from Epic Games in 2014. This gave the company the chance to create further exclusive titles for their Xbox branded consoles in the future, starting with Gears of War 4. It is being developed by The Coalition, a studio that is tasked solely on working on the franchise, much like 343 Industries with Halo. It is being led by former Epic Games director of production Rod Fergusson who has previously worked on all previous instalments in the series.
The new game will see players taking on the role of Marcus Fenix’s son JD Fenix alongside a further three characters that include female protagonist Kait Diaz. They will be tasked with tackling a new threat to humanity on the planet Sera known as the Swarm some 25 years after the events that saw the Locust destroyed.
The last game in the Gears of War franchise was the People Can Fly developed prequel Gears of War: Judgement. It featured fan-favorites Sam Bair and Augustus Cole as the lead protagonists, telling their side of the story to a military tribunal. It was arguably the most disappointing instalment in the series and received little marketing from Microsoft or Epic Games.