The Coalition, developer of Gears of War: E-Day, has confirmed that the game experienced a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack over the weekend. Players encountered intermittent disconnects and login problems, which the studio has since worked to mitigate. "Our teams are continuing to monitor and mitigate this activity. We’ll provide updates if there are any significant changes," The Coalition stated on social media. "Thank you for your patience and understanding."
Online speculation has arisen regarding the motivation behind the attack, with some attributing it to perceived "woke" themes in the game. Gears of War: E-Day currently holds a "mostly positive" user review rating on Steam. Regardless of the cause, online services for the game are now operational.
This incident follows a report last week from Alinea Analytics' head of marketing analysis, Rhys Elliott, which estimated that Gears of War: E-Day sold approximately 230,000 copies in its first week. These unofficial figures suggested that Xbox's Game Pass subscription service may have impacted sales.
Earlier this month, the head of The Coalition addressed concerns about potential layoffs amid broader cuts at Xbox. The studio boss assured that the next Gears game would not take as long to develop. Reports had indicated internal worries at The Coalition about job security following E-Day's release, with one source telling Eurogamer that the studio's mood was one of cautious anticipation. Concerns were also raised about potential reorganizations under Activision.
Microsoft's gaming division has seen significant restructuring, including the reduction of nearly 2,000 jobs this fiscal year. Studios have been closed or divested, and teams like Rare and Obsidian have been placed under Activision and Bethesda, respectively. Gears of War: E-Day was developed as an Xbox Series X and S and PC title. Studio head Mike Crump previously told the BBC that the game's success would be measured not just by sales, but also by its ability to showcase the Xbox platform and push hardware capabilities, aiming to be the best-looking game on the console.