The Coalition's surprising purge of the Gears of War YouTube and Twitch channels has left fans reeling. The channels, once brimming with classic trailers, developer streams, and esports content, are now almost entirely empty, leaving only the recent Gears of War: E-Day reveal trailer and a 2020 fan video. This drastic action comes shortly after the announcement of Gears of War: E-Day, a prequel set fourteen years before the original game.
Gears of War: E-Day, aiming for a 2025 release, is being positioned as a near-reboot, revisiting the origins of Marcus and Dom on Emergence Day. The Coalition recently promoted E-Day within Gears 5, suggesting an imminent launch. However, the deletion of the vast majority of the franchise's online video archive has sparked speculation.
The community is disappointed, as many cherished memories are tied to those now-missing videos, including iconic trailers frequently cited among the best in gaming history. The E-Day trailer even subtly references the original Gears of War trailer's use of Gary Jules' "Mad World." The theory circulating among fans is that The Coalition aims for a clean break, erasing the past to fully embrace the prequel’s new beginning.
While the videos may be archived rather than deleted, their current inaccessibility forces fans to hunt for re-uploads elsewhere. While game trailers are readily available, finding developer streams and esports archives will prove more challenging. The Coalition's motives remain unclear, but the impact on long-time fans is undeniable.