'Gears of War 4' release date sooner than expected

A bit of good news for fans of "Gears of War" floated recently. The upcoming fourth installment in the franchise might make it to game store shelves sooner than fans expected.

According to GameSpot, a recent livestream broadcast from Microsoft revealed that the next installment in the franchise, "Gears of War 4," might launch in fall. Considering that the title had an original targeted release date of "holiday 2016" when it was announced at last year's E3 conference, the new release period is good news to fans of the franchise.

Meanwhile, the industry follower also said that although the new release date is earlier than expected, hardcore fans and "Gears of War" players can still have the chance to play the title even before the targeted fall release, since the beta version of "Gears of War 4" is scheduled to go live this coming spring.

The beta access is currently limited to those who have purchased "Gears of War: Ultimate Edition," noted Destructoid. The industry follower then added that this may still change, and that the developer and publisher might allow access to more players.

Meanwhile, Dual Shockers mentioned that aside from revealing the earlier release date for the title, developer The Coalition also stressed that "Gears of War 4" will showcase an improved gameplay and maps system, at least for the multiplayer feature of the game.

According to the title's lead multiplayer designer Ryan Cleven, the first thing that the studio did was to make sure that developers themselves will be able to play the game as part of its continuing development. Although it might seem trivial, this small detail allowed the developers themselves to gain firsthand information on how players might see the maps and areas, particularly in the multiplayer locations.

News
Christians urged to speak out against 'conversion practices' bill
Christians urged to speak out against 'conversion practices' bill

The call comes amid warnings from The Christian Institute that the proposals could threaten parental guidance and pastoral ministry.

Churches challenged to make single Christians feel fully part of church life
Churches challenged to make single Christians feel fully part of church life

Churches need to move beyond assumptions that marriage and family are the normal markers of a fulfilled Christian life and create communities where single people are fully valued, speakers at the inaugural Single Friendly Church Network conference have said. 

Liechtenstein Prince blocks abortion law reform, advocates greater support for mothers
Liechtenstein Prince blocks abortion law reform, advocates greater support for mothers

Liechtenstein’s Hereditary Prince Alois has refused to approve legislation that would have eased the country’s abortion restrictions, arguing that greater efforts should instead be made to support pregnant women.