Gears of War: E-Day Gets Massive Wave of Criticism Because of New Woman Playable Character

In just a few hours, Gears of War: E-Day will be available to everyone on PC and Xbox Series X/S, though right now access is still limited to Premium Edition owners. Despite that, the game's already drawn some criticism, particularly around the themes of inclusivity and imposition in video games.

As user Pirate Nation pointed out, HitDetection, a company known for consulting on inclusivity in games, was involved in Gears of War: E-Day development, operating in a similar space to the better-known Sweet Baby Inc. That latter company also worked on Marvel's Wolverine, which was cited as one factor behind that game's mixed-to-negative reception among players. Back to Gears of War: E-Day, the user noted that while The Coalition marketed the game around Marcus and Dom's story, players with early access have pointed out it actually centers more on a new character, Mags Carter, who is also the series' first openly LGBTQ+ character. According to players, Mags constantly “overshadows Marcus and Dom, even saving them, while they are pushed into the background and she remains the star.”

Consultant company HitDetection, aka SBI 2.0 confirmed to have worked on Gears of War E-Day.

Recently, a consultant at HitDetection Jacob Geller admited Sexual Assault

Not looking good to have hired a company with these kinds of people working.

Despite the mixed early player reaction to those choices, critics have responded well on Gears of War: E-Day. The game currently sits at 87 on Metacritic and 88 on OpenCritic, with 92% of critics recommending it. You can also purchase Gears of War: E-Day on Eneba and get a 5% discount with the promo code EGW5.

Gears of War: E-Day releases later today on PC and Xbox Series X/S. It will also be available on Day 1 with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.