Xbox is in the midst of a broad corporate reset involving franchise and team changes, while layoffs continue across the company. During that upheaval, The Coalition released Gears of War: E-Day, a well-received Xbox-exclusive prequel to the original trilogy.
The release has prompted questions about what comes next for the studio. Coalition head Mike Crump has not said whether further staff reductions are planned, choosing instead to focus on the work the team can directly influence.
In a new interview with the BBC, Crump was asked about concerns that Coalition developers could remain at risk after E-Day. He provided no details about the studio’s immediate future, but said the priority was delivering games that players enjoy. He also promised that the next Gears game would not take seven years to reach players, as E-Day did.
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“What I say to myself, what I say to the team, is we just need to focus on the things that we can control. For us that’s about shipping a great game that people are going to love, and I feel like, as a team, we’ve done that.”
E-Day provides a foundation for the next game
Crump described E-Day as a “great foundation” for future Gears projects. He told the BBC that development on the next game “will not take nearly as long”, though he did not announce a release date or explain how production would be accelerated.
He also highlighted the experience within The Coalition. Crump said the studio’s leadership group has worked together for upwards of 20 years, creating what he described as continuity of knowledge and experience. The Coalition took over responsibility for Gears of War in 2014.
“We’ve got a great team here. And the leadership team in particular has worked together for upwards of 20 years. So there’s definitely a continuity of knowledge and experience.”
The Coalition has largely avoided Xbox’s wider layoffs, although the story director on E-Day and other employees were laid off the previous month. Crump’s comments point to a faster development timeline for the next game, not a guarantee about the studio’s staffing or employment security.
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