see deal Gears of War 4 - Xbox One $39.99 on Gamestop

The Gears of War cover art, as revealed by Entertainment Weekly.

Microsoft announced the release date on its blog, while Entertainment Weekly showed off the windswept cover art, featuring the new game's core squad, JD, Kait and Del (plus a rocky cameo from a Marcus Fenix, too):We know that Gears 4 is set 25 years after the events of the original trilogy, that JD is Marcus Fenix's son , and that the whole game will take place over the course of "one night in the woods", but Xbox's blogpost teases us by saying "today’s announcement is set to ignite a chain of upcoming revelations about what’s in store for JD Fenix and the next generation of Gears heroes."From April 18, those who played Gears of War: Ultimate Edition will be able to play a beta of Gears 4's multiplayer, with all Xbox Live Gold members able to join in from April 25. The beta will run until May 1.Gears of War 4 will feature a number of features familiar to fans of the series, including split-screen across all modes and a gore and mature language filter

Joe Skrebels is IGN's UK News Editor, and he thinks all of those guys need to wear a coat, or at least a jumper. Follow him on Twitter