Former Gears of War Producer Criticized E-Day for Pushing New Female Character over Marcus and Dom

Gears of War: E-Day, a new installment and a prequel to the very first game, was one of this autumn’s biggest releases. The gaming critics praised it highly, but not all players were as impressed, and there is a specific reason for that.

E-Day was billed as the story of Marcus and Dom and an expansion of the franchise’s lore. But The Coalition introduced a new playable character, Mags Carter, who is female and openly LGBTQ+. The main complaint from players is that the game puts the new protagonist in the spotlight. Meanwhile, Laura Fryer, a former Gears of War producer, shares this view, too. In a new YouTube video, she stated she had been waiting for the game to learn more about Marcus and Dom, but the story disappointed her because it “kills the feeling of comradeship and brotherhood” from the original trilogy.

Laura Freyre, a gaming industry veteran and one of the original members of the Xbox project, says Gears of War: E-Day sidelined Marcus and Dom’s hero journey by inserting Mags Carter and robbing players of what they actually wanted.

After finishing the game, she believes the team simply didn’t make it for the original Gears of War target audience.

Despite strong critical praise, Gears of War: E-Day’s sales were lower than expected. According to Alinea Analytics, only 230,000 copies had been sold as of October 9, three days after release. The Coalition and Xbox haven’t released official figures yet.

Even with the new character, studio representatives claimed Marcus and Dom remain the franchise’s main characters, which hints they may appear in future projects. Gears of War: E-Day is available on PC and Xbox Series X/S and through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.