Gears of War 4 Release Date Confirmed, Box Art Revealed

Gears of War 4 will launch worldwide for Xbox One on October 11, developer The Coalition has announced. Community director Adam Fletcher said the reveal was part of "a chain of upcoming revelations about what's in store for JD Fenix and the next generation of Gears heroes."

Gears of War 4's story follows Marcus Fenix's son and two other new characters. It takes place over the span of 24 hours. The Coalition has said that the game will draw inspiration from the first game in the series when it comes to tone.

"Harkening back to the dark and intense roots of the original classic, fans can expect a familiar, yet distinct evolution of gameplay, including brutal and intimate action, a heart-pounding campaign, genre-defining multiplayer and stunning visuals powered by Unreal Engine 4."

Gears of War 4's multiplayer beta on Xbox One is scheduled to start on April 18. To be part of this, you'll need to play Gears of War Ultimate Edition on Xbox One or PC by April 11. Beta tokens will begin to be sent out on April 18, though Microsoft didn't say who will get codes first or how long it may take for all codes to go out. After the "early access" period ends on April 24, all Xbox Live Gold members can play through May 1.

In an interview with EW, the official Gears of War 4 box art for the game was also released.