'The Art and Making of Gears of War: E-Day' Emerges This October

2 minutes ago
3 min read

June 18th 2025

Last week it was confirmed in an interview with The Coalition's Matt Searcy that an artbook would be coming for their next release, Gears of War: E-Day, but no other details were shared at the time. It didn't take long for there to be an official reveal of the exciting new book, which we now know is titled The Art and Making of Gears of War: E-Day.

When the book was mentioned in a conversation about AI, I noted that this was not the typical way a book is revealed, but now publisher Insight Editions has shared the release on social media and listings have begun to go live. The 256-page hardcover will hit shelves on October 6th 2026, a perfect date as this is the same day as the game launches. The above cover art was also used on the publisher's website, but simple designs like this are often placeholders and not final.

It's worth noting that there are only listings for the US and Canada at this time, which may just be a delay on the part of retailers in Europe and elsewhere, but could imply that Titan Books will be publishing the book in these regions, which is not uncommon. I have reached out to confirm if this is the case and will update the story should they reply.

The Art and Making of Gears of War: E-Day shares concept art and renders for the characters, locations of Sera, weapons, and more for the prequel entry of the popular series, giving fans a look how the return of Marcus Fenix came together visually. Not being just an 'Art of' book means that you'll also get to learn about how the games was developed, including details about the story, sound, and game design, with informtation given through interviews with the team.

The good news is that in the midst of teams being outed for their use of generative AI, creative director Matt Searcy has confirmed that is was not used in the E-Day's development, so those not interested in seeing this type of content can add this to their collection without concern. You can read more about that here.

This is not the first Gears of War artbook, but it is the first time that Insight Editions will be the publisher. The last release, Gears Tactics - The Art of the Game, was from Titan Books, and The Art of Gears of War 4 and The Art of Gears 5 came by way of Dark Horse. Insight Editions have been responsible for a lot of artbooks for games and movies in the past, including The Art and Making of Dune Awakening from last year, so they are no stranger to the space.

Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel to the 2006 original and takes place 14 years before those events. This new story will once again have you playing as Marcus Fenix, but this time on Emergence Day, when everything went wrong and the Locust Horde borrowed out of the ground. You'll team again with Dominic Santiago as the planet Sera falls into chaos, showing the duo's early days togther. The game arrives on October 6th on Xbox and PC and is looking fantastic, as seen in the preview above. The visuals are of course a big step up too, making the artbook one that fans will likely have their eye on.

More on The Art and Making of Gears of War: E-Day will be reported here as updates happen, and those that are interested in pre-ordering a copy in the US can do so below, with listings elsewhere expected to appear soon;