If you’ve been wondering why Gears of War started feeling less terrifying and more like a Saturday morning action movie, the franchise’s original art director has the answer. Jerry O’Flaherty, who defined the visual identity of the first Gears of War in 2006, just shared his thoughts on the upcoming E-Day prequel and he’s genuinely excited. After 19 years of watching the franchise evolve, O’Flaherty believes E-Day is finally bringing back the horror roots that made the original game so special. “If Gears 1 was Alien, the rest of the franchise was Aliens,” he explained in a recent interview.
Gears 1 Was Always Meant to Be Horror
Here’s something most players probably don’t realize: the original Gears of War was intentionally designed as a horror game. O’Flaherty explains that from the very beginning, before the game was even officially in development, the team was creating horror-focused cinematic content. “We were having to make videos to show Peter Moore and there was this constant little back channel feeding of stuff we were working on. It was horror. It was a horror game, and horror is going to be a reduced palette, it’s going to be a lot of dark,” he recalls.
That philosophy shaped everything about the original game. The dark, cramped environments. The revelation that monsters could literally burst from the ground. The vulnerability of soldiers facing an existential threat they didn’t understand. It was “Alien” – a smaller, more intimate horror experience where tension came from the unknown. You weren’t a tough commando mowing down waves of aliens. You were a human in over your head, trying to survive against something horrifying.
The Franchise Evolved Into Something Different
But then sequels happened. Gears 2, 3, 4, and 5 transformed the series from “Alien” into “Aliens” – more action, more firepower, more explosive spectacle. O’Flaherty acknowledges this wasn’t necessarily bad. “People fricking love 2, 3, 4,” he said. Those games were commercially successful and beloved by millions. The problem, from his perspective, is they lost something essential in the process. The horror aspect was diluted. The tension gave way to testosterone-fueled action sequences. Gears became a monster game rather than a game about horror with monsters in it.
The difference sounds subtle but it’s profound. When Gears went full “Aliens,” it abandoned the hiding, the tension, the slow-burn dread of pulling horror out of every location. Instead, it became about overwhelming force and spectacular violence. Both approaches work, but they’re fundamentally different experiences. O’Flaherty clearly loved what they were doing in that first game and watched it transform into something else entirely.
E-Day Is Bringing the Terrifying Back
Which brings us to E-Day. The upcoming prequel takes place on Emergence Day, the moment when the Locust first burst from the ground to begin their assault on humanity. It’s the perfect setting to recapture that horror atmosphere. The Coalition and People Can Fly (co-developers) have stated their explicit intention to focus on horror elements from the original game. Creative Director Matt Searcy explained their philosophy: “What if the ground opened up and monsters came out? To do that, we need to be able to tell a story that feels like a horror story.”
O’Flaherty sees exactly what the team is trying to accomplish. When asked if E-Day looks like a faithful take on what the original game was attempting, O’Flaherty said simply: “Agreed.” That might sound like a short answer, but coming from the man who originally shaped Gears’ visual identity, it’s a massive endorsement. He’s passionate about this direction. He loved the horror aspect of what they did in the first game, and E-Day is attempting to recapture that magic.
The Original Actors Are Coming Back
What’s particularly interesting is that E-Day will feature younger versions of iconic Gears characters like Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago. And yes, the original actors from the first games are returning to voice their younger selves. That’s a bold creative decision – it means the game is literally trying to recapture the energy of the original by bringing back the same talent that defined those characters 19 years ago. It’s respectful of the franchise’s history while moving forward with a new story.
The decision to cast original voice actors suggests The Coalition takes the “return to horror roots” mandate seriously. You don’t go out of your way to reunite the original cast unless you’re genuinely committed to honoring what made that era special. If this were just another military shooter wearing the Gears name, they could have recast and moved on. Instead, they’re doubling down on connection to the original vision.
| Game | Year | Tone | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gears 1 | 2006 | Horror | Survival horror with aliens, intimate tension |
| Gears 2 | 2008 | Action Horror | Bigger scale, more combat |
| Gears 3 | 2011 | Action | Epic warfare, less horror focus |
| Gears 4 | 2016 | Action | New protagonist, continued action focus |
| Gears 5 | 2019 | Action | Modern warfare aesthetic |
| E-Day | 2026 | Horror | Return to Gears 1 horror roots |
What O’Flaherty’s Perspective Reveals
O’Flaherty’s comments are particularly valuable because they come from someone who actually shaped the original vision. He didn’t just work on Gears 1 – he helped establish its visual language and atmospheric approach. When he says “If Gears 1 was Alien, the rest was Aliens,” he’s not complaining. He’s observing an evolution that happened over two decades. But he’s also clearly more excited about the direction E-Day is taking, which mirrors his own design philosophy from nearly 20 years ago.
The fact that he’s publicly enthusiastic about E-Day matters to fans of the original game. It suggests The Coalition isn’t just paying lip service to “horror roots” – they’re actually consulting with people who understand what made the first game special and trying to recapture that feeling. That’s the kind of creative input that can make or break a franchise prequel.
FAQs
Who is Jerry O’Flaherty?
Jerry O’Flaherty was the original art director for Gears of War. He shaped the visual identity and aesthetic of the first game in 2006, helping establish its dark, horror-focused atmosphere that became iconic in gaming.
What does “E-Day” stand for?
E-Day stands for Emergence Day, the day in the Gears of War universe when the Locust suddenly emerged from underground and began their invasion of humanity. It’s the catastrophic event that sets the entire franchise’s story in motion.
When will Gears of War: E-Day release?
Gears of War: E-Day is scheduled to release in 2026. Exact release date hasn’t been announced yet, but the game is currently in active development by The Coalition and People Can Fly.
Will original Gears of War actors return?
Yes. The original voice actors will return to voice younger versions of iconic characters like Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago. This includes bringing back the original cast from the 2006 game.
How is E-Day different from recent Gears games?
E-Day is intentionally returning to the horror atmosphere of the original Gears of War. Rather than the action-focused gameplay of Gears 4 and 5, E-Day emphasizes tension, survival horror, and the terror of facing the unknown.
Why did Gears shift from horror to action?
As the franchise evolved, each sequel became progressively more action-oriented. The sequels focused on larger-scale warfare, more firepower, and less atmospheric horror. While commercially successful, this shift moved away from the original game’s survival horror aesthetic.
Who are The Coalition and People Can Fly?
The Coalition is an Xbox Game Studios developer and the current steward of the Gears franchise. People Can Fly is a Polish studio known for Bulletstorm and Painkiller. They’re co-developing E-Day alongside The Coalition.
Conclusion
Jerry O’Flaherty’s enthusiasm for Gears of War: E-Day is significant because it represents validation from someone who literally created the original vision. After watching the franchise evolve from “Alien” into “Aliens” over 19 years, he’s genuinely excited that E-Day is attempting to recapture that original horror magic. Whether The Coalition can actually pull it off remains to be seen, but having the original art director on board and enthusiastic about the direction suggests the team understands what made the first game special.
For longtime Gears fans who’ve felt the series lost something over the years, E-Day represents a chance to experience the franchise in a way that hasn’t been seen since 2006. It’s a prequel that’s also, in some ways, a spiritual return to basics. If O’Flaherty’s excitement is warranted, 2026 could be a really good year for Gears of War fans looking for something that captures that original terror and tension.