Developers working on Gears of War: E-Day are reportedly worried that they could be laid off soon after the game launches. Some fear the cuts could come before their expected bonuses are paid out.
The worry follows a simple order of events. The team finishes the game. The game launches. Layoffs follow. Then bonus day arrives for whoever is still employed.
E-Day is being developed by The Coalition, Xbox’s studio in Vancouver. The studio took over Gears after Microsoft bought the franchise from Epic Games in 2014. It was called Black Tusk Studios until 2015.
The Coalition has released Gears of War: Ultimate Edition (2015), Gears of War 4 (2016), Gears 5 (2019), and the Hivebusters expansion (2020).
E-Day was revealed at the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2024. It’s a prequel set 14 years before the original 2006 game. It follows young Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago on Emergence Day, when the Locust first attack. It’s built in Unreal Engine 5.
Many people online assume that American “at-will” rules apply here. They may not. The Coalition is based in British Columbia, where employers usually have to give notice or pay in lieu of notice when they let workers go.
Whether a laid-off developer would still get a bonus depends on their contract, the bonus plan, and local law. Contractors and full-time staff may also have very different deals.
