E-Day will not launch with private matches

The Coalition confirmed that Gears of War: E-Day is launching without some familiar series features. Private matches are not in the game on day one; the studio expects to add them in a later update.

Early access starts on 1 October and the full release is 6 October. Features the team calls legacy items, and did not finish carrying over, include private lobbies, the meat shield, chainsaw duels, and some older weapons. The Coalition says those ideas are not gone from the series for good.

E-Day was built from scratch. Cover, combat, and enemy behavior were reworked, so not every previous feature made the release. The studio is not promising that each missing piece will return in E-Day specifically. Some may wait for the next game.

Season one runs until 1 December, and later season names are already public. Some of the older modes can still arrive after launch.