Gears of War voice acting veterans John DiMaggio and Carlos Ferro will officially reprise their roles as Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago for Gears of War: E-Day.
Developer The Coalition announced the news on Thursday, which also happens to be the 18th anniversary of the launch of the original Gears of War. It’s big news for longtime fans of the series, who will remember that DiMaggio and Ferro played the two leads in the franchise’s first three games. An image of the two stars standing together was shared to studio’s official X/Twitter account.
We are so back. ??
— Gears of War (@GearsofWar) November 7, 2024
On today's 18th anniversary of Gears of War, we're proud to share that John DiMaggio and @RealCarlosFerro are reprising their roles as the iconic voices of Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago in Gears of War: E-Day. pic.twitter.com/x9uaH9R0sR
Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel that takes place awhile before the mainline Gears story got its start. Specifically, it’s set around Emergence Day, which is known as the day the Locust horde made its way to the surface of Sera to launch its attack on humanity. That means that we definitely won’t be seeing protagonists like JD Fenix and Kait Diaz from future Gears games, and more importantly, it means that Marcus and Dom get one more game to see how exactly their bond was strengthened.
It's not much of a surprise to hear that DiMaggio and Ferro will re-team for E-Day – fans had guessed that the longtime Marcus Fenix voice actor would at least return following the reveal of an emotional announcement trailer earlier this year – but it’s still nice to hear that Dom’s voice will be returning as well. While Marcus lived on to fight in Gears 4 and 5, his partner’s journey ended with a heroic sacrifice in Gears of War 3. Many believe the duo’s relationship and the performances behind them are what helped propel the Gears of War series to success, and now, E-Day is attempting to recapture that gritty, gory magic.
The Coalition told us earlier this year that Gears of War: E-Day gives the team to return to the series’ roots in more ways than one. One element set to return in the prequel is the horror that the original trilogy is known for. Brand Director Nicole Fawcette and Creative Director Matt Searcy spoke to us about their goals in an interview that took place shortly after the game’s reveal.
“For us, it’s like a what-if story,” Searcy said. “What if the ground opened up and monsters came out? Yeah, it’s set on a fictional, other planet, but there are very human reactions and stories we get to tell. To do that, we need to be able to tell a story that feels like a horror story.”
Gears of War: E-Day is currently without a release date but is expected to come to PC and Xbox Series X | S sometime in the future. In the meantime, you can read about why the prequel doesn’t meant the end for the story that left off with Gears 5. You can also check out why we think E-Day needs to rediscover the franchise’s sense of fun.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
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