According to a new report The Coalition is sidestepping their tried and true cash cow Gears of War for a brand new IP, set to release before the continuation of their best known franchise. After a foray into Unreal Engine 5 with The Matrix Awakens, the company is releasing another smaller title to further familiarize themselves with the engine.

This rumor comes from known content creator and industry informant 'Rand al Thor 19' appearing on the 32nd cast of Xbox News Cast hosted by Colt Eastwood. The people involved with this podcast have fairly well known connections in the gaming industry, and have provided legitimate insider info in the past.

Apparently, following The Coalition's recent adoption of Unreal Engine 5, which they flexed with the recent tech demo and interactive advertisement The Matrix Awakens, the developers are keen to deepen their familiarity with the technology. Before continuing their take on the Gears of War saga, which they took over from Epic Games following Microsoft's acquisition of the IP, The Coalition is looking at a smaller game.

Nothing is known about the brand new IP at this point, but being a completely original production leave the possibilities wide open. All we know is that it won't be part of a pre-existing franchise, and that it will be developed with Unreal 5. Reports, like that in XNC, indicate that this is a smaller project.

Possibly of greater interest - and certainly if you are a Gears of War fan - are the tidbits that Rand al Thor 19 had to say about Gears of War 6 and its release date. Since The Coalition is currently focused on this new game, set to launch in 2023, and learning Unreal Engine 5, the major AAA title is only coming after.

It seems that Gears of War 6 is looking at a 2024 or 2025 release date as things stand. Considering how frequent delays have been recently due to difficulties posed by the on-going COVID-19 pandemic and related security measures, we'd hedge our bets on the latter - even if it is slated for 2024 internally, we wouldn't discount the chance of it being pushed back.

Fans have expressed anticipation of Gears of War 6, as the previous mainline games from The Coalition were met with positive reception and players are eager for the saga to continue. The gap between Gears of War 5 and 6 will end up being the longest in franchise history, and many fans have expressed hopes that this will make the new game suitably special and exciting.

The Coalition has developed two mainline Gears of War games to date, with a remaster of the original and a turn based spin-off under their belts as well. Aside of Gears titles and The Matrix Awakens, their portfolio includes a browser game and a version of Microsoft Flight Simulator. We're curious to see what kind of new IP they cook up.