Not only does Gears of War 4 now have an official release date and cover art, but developer The Coalition also recently released more details about the game's story and features.
This information also confirms that one particular game feature will return from previous titles: split-screen support.
The April issue of Game Informer dedicates its cover story to Gears of War 4, and that includes a sneak peek at the game's plot and storyline, which takes place 25 years into the future in a world wracked by windstorms that will change how battles take place.
"The Coalition is a big fan of the first Gears of War, so we talk with the team about how it aims to bring the series back to its darker, horror-themed roots," Game Informer writes on its website. "Afterwards we break down the three new playable characters and confirm two-player couch co-op. Then we get hands-on time with Gears of War 4's new close-cover melee system."
These three new players are JD Fenix, Delmont Walker and Kait Diaz who must survive traversing the woods and facing new enemies. The voice actors portraying those characters are Spartacus' Liam McIntyre, Battlefield Hardline's Eugene Byrd and Halo 5's Laura Bailey.
Here's the official cover art for Gears of War 4, as revealed by Entertainment Weekly.
Game Informer also promises to reveal more information about the game's weapons and enemies, not only in its pages, but also on its website through its Gears of War 4 hub.
The Coalition's studio head Rod Fergusson also confirmed that Gears of War 4 will offer support for split-screen.
"Any way you can play Gears of War you can play split-screen," Fergusson said during The Game Informer Show.
Finally, Gears of War 4 has a beta coming up soon. Fergusson also mentioned that on The Game Informer Show, explaining to beta players what they can expect.
"What you're going to play is basically an alpha build of our multiplayer," he said. "That means there's going to be issues, but it's an actual beta. It's not a fake demo; it's not a highly polished thing in the sense that it's set up as a marketing demo. It's actually, 'Hey, we have brand new technology on our servers and we have brand new features on our client and we want that to be tested at scale and we want your help.'"
Gears of War 4 will launch on the Xbox One on Oct. 11. The multiplayer beta goes live on April 18 for those with early access, with the beta becoming open to all players on April 24.
