The Coalition will soon have players return to the beginning of the Locust War in the next mainline Gears of War game, Gears of War: E-Day. Here, gamers will take control of the iconic duo, Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, as they deal with the Locust threat for the first time. Unlike recent Gears titles, the Coalition will have the Locust return as the primary antagonists for this game in a more horrifying manner than previously seen. However, The Coalition should use Gears of War: E-Day’s prequel opportunity to shed more light on one of Gears’ lesser-known factions: the Union of Independent Republics.
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Gears of War’s Union of Independent Republics Explained
Most of Sera’s history is fairly similar to Earth, with humanity slowly developing civilizations from feudalistic and monarchal origins, expanding through industrial revolutions, and maturing into modern-day nation states. Like Earth today, Sera’s industry was once primarily driven by the use of coal and oil for fuel. That was until the discovery of the underground substance known as Imulsion around 100 years before Emergence Day. Imulsion was initially used as a pure fuel source and, as such, sparked high demand from several nations on Sera. Some nations had easier access to Imulsion deposits than others, leading the poorer countries to unite and form the separatist superstate known as the UIR to fight against the socialist, Imulsion-rich autocracy known as the Coalition of Ordered Governments.
For nearly 80 years, the COG and UIR fought in brutal, industrial conflicts over Imulsion and control of Sera called the Pendulum Wars. Over the decades, both militaries would develop their own unique weapons, armor, vehicles, and technologies to be used in the Pendulum Wars. The UIR developed turreted APCs, hulking Pariah main-battle tanks, swift Khimera attack helicopters, large transport helicopters, rockets used for the UIR Space Program, and, most famously, the Hammer of Dawn satellites. On the ground, UIR troops, often referred to as Indies, often wore either green skull-like armor or repurposed COG Gear armor painted black as they used UIR-produced weapons such as Markza Rifles and Booshka Grenade Launchers. The UIR additionally utilized specialized units such as UIR Cosmonauts, Elite, and Sandswept.
The Fall and Legacy of the Union of Independent Republics
Two years before Emergence Day, during the Battle of Aspho Fields, COG commandos led by Major Victor Hoffman stole Hammer of Dawn technology from the UIR. Adam Fenix would later perfect the Hammer of Dawn and the COG threatened the UIR with total annihilation if they refused to surrender. Most UIR nations surrendered, but some refused and continued to fight, such as the Republic of Gorasnaya, which attempted to launch their own Hammer of Dawn satellites before being stopped by a COG Lightmass Missile. For six weeks, the Pendulum Wars were over until the Locust attacked on Emergence Day, wiping out millions of UIR and COG people. In the Locust War, many UIR troops joined the COG army through the Open Arms Program and helped rebuild postwar.
Most of the UIR and the Pendulum Wars are depicted in Gears of Wars expanded media, such as the novel Gears of War: Aspho Fields and DC Comics’ Gears of War series.
The UIR’s Potential Role in Gears of War: E-Day
Gears of War: E-Day Creative Director Matt Searcy has confirmed that the game will not solely take place on Emergence Day alone, but take place on “multiple days” after the Locust invasion and focus on events preceding the invasion. With this time period in mind, The Coalition could have the beginning of the game focus on one of the last battles of the Pendulum Wars between the COG and UIR to set up a contrast between the relatively humane UIR and the monstrous Locust. This could showcase more of the UIR’s forces, vehicles, and weaponry in true gameplay, as players have mostly interacted with the rusting remains of the UIR military in Gears of War 4 and Gears 5.
The beginning of Gears of War: E-Day could be structured similarly to the beginning of Gears of War 4, with the UIR appearing as the first enemies for a few chapters or sections before the true antagonists of the Locust appear in dramatic ways on Emergence Day. Having the UIR appear in E-Day this way could expand some of the UIR’s lesser-known military by introducing more enemy variants and hostile vehicles. Fenix and Santiago could even use a Pariah tank at one point in the campaign to let players finally use a UIR vehicle. These new UIR enemies and vehicles could then be used in E-Day’s PVP multiplayer and Horde Mode to add some variety alongside Locust forces, ensuring there are plenty of upsides to their hypothetical introduction.
- Released
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2025
- ESRB
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m
- Publisher(s)
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Xbox Game Studios