Microsoft's three biggest franchises are Halo, Forza, and Gears of War. Halo Infinite is due for release later this year, and a new Forza Motorsport game is confirmed to be in development as well. However, there's been no news about the inevitable Gears of War 6, and it seems fans shouldn't expect to hear anything about the game anytime soon.
Microsoft will have a big presence at E3 2021, where it's expected to showcase new Xbox Series X games as well as titles that it acquired through the Bethesda acquisition. However, fans hoping for Gears of War 6 to be a part of Microsoft's E3 2021 presentation will likely be disappointed. Industry insider Jeff Grubb has not heard anything about a Gears of War 6 reveal happening at E3 2021, and so fans shouldn't hold their breath that the game will be at the show.
Gears of War 6 likely being absent from E3 2021 shouldn't come as a big surprise to fans. Gears 5 just launched in 2019 and the spin-off strategy game Gears Tactics released last year. While Splash Damage was the lead developer on Gears Tactics, The Coalition assisted in its development and so between that and seasonal content for Gears 5, the studio has had its hands full, to say the least.
Gears 5 is still receiving seasonal content updates to this day, with new characters, maps, and more being added to the popular third-person shooter on a regular basis. Plus, The Coalition worked to release a proper Xbox Series X enhanced version of Gears 5 as well, and so it makes sense that the studio is still focused on that game instead of turning its attention to Gears of War 6, whenever that may release.
Gears 5's ending makes it clear that a Gears of War 6 is going to come someday, though it seems like it will be at least a couple of years away, if not longer. There are many narrative loose ends that need tied up, and if Gears 6 follows the same pattern as the original games, then it may very well be the final chapter in the new story that started with Gears of War 4.
Maybe The Coalition will keep fans busy with content like the Hivebusters story expansion in the meantime, though nothing like that has been confirmed at the time of this writing. For now, something Gears of War fans can look forward to for sure are more multiplayer seasons and new content in Gears 5.
Gears of War 6 has not been announced.