The Coalition confirms that Gears of War 4's Horde 3.0 only requires match hosts to own the mode's maps, allowing gamers who don't own them to try them out.
During Microsoft's press conference for this year's E3, game developer The Coalition's Rod Fergusson took the stage with Gears of War 4 voice actress Laura Bailey to give fans a taste of the third-person shooter's gameplay by previewing the co-op elements in the campaign mode with a demo. While the footage was definitely impressive, many fans were wondering what the studio had in mind for what is arguably the franchise's most popular mode: Horde.
In the past, the series' Horde mode has provided the games' biggest challenge, by pitting players against wave after wave of ever-strengthening enemies, which has allowed friends to get together for some intense combat. However, if someone wanted to play the mode online with their pals, each person would have to own the exact same DLC packs to play the associated maps, but that ends with Gears of War 4.
According to The Coalition's studio head Rod Fergusson, once Gears of War 4's launches, any players who haven't purchased a map can join in with another host's game who has. With this being the case for the forthcoming shooter, it should help keep Gears of War 4's community intact once new DLC begins to release, and could inspire fans to purchase maps after trying them out with players who already own them.
This should come as good news to Gears of War 4 fans, as developers have allowed the Horde mode to be playable on every single multiplayer map in the game. Not to mention, with The Coalition having revealed that the shooter supports multiplayer crossplay between PC and Xbox One, there's an even greater chance of fans being exposed to certain maps that they may not own, as the feature will provide more players to get together for a match of Horde.
In any event, it seems as if The Coalition is on track to properly rejuvenating the Gears franchise with the fourth entry by retaining lots of familiar elements, while also refining them for contemporary audiences. Taking all of this into consideration, as well as the fact that series creator Cliff Bleszinski has said fans will be "pleased" with the game, it's a safe bet that Gears of War 4 delivers an enjoyable experience once it releases this fall.
What's your take on Gears of War 4's Horde mode only requiring match hosts to own the maps? Is this a feature that could inspire you to pick up a copy of the game on its release? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Gears of War 4 is set to release on October 11, 2016 for PC and Xbox One.