Gears of War 4 Will be “A Graphical Showcase” For The Xbox One

The Gears of War franchise is one of Microsoft’s most successful exclusives and continues to attract a very passionate fan base. Instead of focussing on an emotional narrative, the Gears of War series prioritizes fun, chaotic gameplay and creates a very memorable experience. Originally, the first entry launched on the Xbox 360 and received critical acclaim for its dark, atmospheric setting. Additionally, the graphical quality was absolutely sensational for the time, and a real showcase of the Xbox 360’s capabilities. Unfortunately, the previous title, Gears of War: Judgement felt a little uninspired and didn’t really offer anything new. There’s clearly been some stagnation in the franchise, but this is quite a common notion across almost every major game series. After a fairly long hiatus, Gears of War 4 is heading to the Xbox One and looks very impressive.

In the last issue of Official Xbox Magazine US, The Coalition’s studio head, Rod Fergusson claimed the studio will be:

“Delivering [with Ultimate Edition] the first 60fps multiplayer experience in franchise history really taught us a lot about what it means to have a 60fps culture on the team and we’re leveraging that experience for Gears of War 4.”

“Like how the original Gears of War was a visual showcase for the Xbox 360, Gears of War 4 will be a graphical showcase for the Xbox One.”

Microsoft’s latest console has been heavily criticized for its technical limitations and consistently struggles to match the PlayStation 4’s performance in multi platform releases. The company’s initial entertainment focus and poor specification limits the amount of power developers have at their disposal. As a result, it’s extremely difficult to attain 60 frames-per-second at 1080P and concessions usually have to be made. It’s not uncommon for some Xbox One titles to run at 900P or even less! Hopefully Gears of War 4 helps restore the console’s reputation and showcase the benefits of impressive optimization. However, I’m quite sceptical because it’s impossible to ignore the console’s very limited hardware.