One of the mightiest franchises Xbox owns had a new release this week. The critics seem to like it. Early purchasers seem to as well. Most of the influencers who got an early copy feel the same. If all this feels familiar, it's because it is. Every major release for either the Xbox or Sony PlayStation gets the exact same treatment.
I will never know how good Gears of War: E-Day is because I have no plans to buy the game. This is despite the Xbox Series X being my console of choice this generation.
Why won't I be playing Gears of War: E-Day? It's the same reason I passed on Starfield, Dragon Age, Halo, and The Outer Worlds 2... the discourse around the game is simply too much.
I suppose, just like the predictability of a big AAA game getting glowing reviews from the regular characters, for a guy like me who just aged out of the 18–49 demographic, it's predictable that I want to sidestep games that might have overt political messaging attached to them.
What do I mean by "overt?" It means that we, as customers, now know the faces behind the creation of a game. Up until about a decade ago, most average consumers didn't know, and didn't even care. There has always been a push to put creators forward (similar to movies) because of the incredible work being done in games. However, now that it's here, I'm not sure people actually want to know.
Some of that has to do with culture. Creatives have always had interesting sides; this is true throughout the history of art. But the gaming industry was created, cared for, and managed by a different type of creative for decades until recently. It was usually young men who possessed both the technical know-how and the creative bone needed to solve complex issues. They were necessary.
As time has moved on and tools got simpler, it's not surprising to see people lean much more into the creative side than the technical one. It is clear as day now that this shift is overcooked. Creatives are good at many things, but managing studios? They are not.
I suppose this lesson is being learned the hard way right now.
Anyway, I'm not buying E-Day.
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