The march of new content for Gears of War fans continues this December with the second major update for Gears of War 4! Arriving on December 6, this update adds extra value for Season Pass holders and includes two brand new maps, “Gearsmas” goodies plus a whole host of fixes and improvements. And for anyone that hasn’t picked up the game yet, it’s 33% off from December 1 to December 28!

Brand New Maps

Following the release of fan-favorite maps Checkout and Drydock last month, two brand new battlegrounds will arrive with the December Update.

Speyer

Evacuated long ago, this lonely district of Speyer is a still image of pre-Locust War life. The battle for the sanctuary is a close quarters affair, but teams looking to control the sprawling academy will need to do so together. Speyer’s opulent interiors and quaint plazas are best suited to longer range engagements.

Glory

A monument of military might, this COG battery was used only against the most strategic targets to maintain its secrecy. The defensibility of this fortress can be used to your advantage if captured, which includes a powerful mounted turret that can suppress the courtyard below.

Both maps will be added to public playlists starting December 13. As we say hello to Glory and Speyer, we say goodbye (for now) to Gridlock and Relic. As a reminder, all maps in Gears of War 4 are added to playlists for free, with maps rotating in and out of public playlists. For non-Season Pass holders that want to keep playing maps no longer in rotation, individual maps can be purchased in the Gears of War store.

Updates and Improvements

Since launch, we’ve listened closely to fan feedback to help guide our development of updates and improvements. This latest update includes several highly requested improvements along with some new features including:

A Daily Rewards system

Improved visual feedback for damage dealt with the Gnasher

Vertical Split-Screen for Windows 10 players

Improvements to footstep audio balance, audio/video settings

A whole lot more!

We’ll be detailing the full map rotation changes and Title Update notes this Friday on GearsofWar.com.

Our team continues to work on additional important features to improve the online experience for future updates, including a pre-game lobby for Core and Competitive as well as a number of punitive tools to discourage or prevent quitting. Thank you for all your feedback – please keep it coming!

Bonus Credits and XP for Season Pass Holders

With this update, Season Pass holders will earn additional XP and Credit rewards when playing the Developer Playlist during the week it’s available. Season Pass holders will continue to get early access to new maps (December 6 for Speyer and Glory), and have access to all DLC maps permanently for use in Versus and Horde Private Matches. We’re continuing to look at adding even more benefits and value for our Season Pass holders in the future.



eSports Recap

History was made with Gears eSports at the MLG Columbus Open as 64 teams competed for a record breaking $300,000 prize pool in a weekend filled with surprises and huge upsets. OpTic Gaming and Team EnVyUs continued their rivalry in the Grand Finals matchup with EnVyUs resetting the bracket and delivering the first ever map losses to OpTic Gaming at a Gears 4 live event, but in the end of the day OpTic was able to persevere and walk away as the MLG Columbus Champions!

The next Gears Pro Circuit live event will take place in London on December 10th and 11th in partnership with Gfinity. Players can find out more about the Gear Pro Circuit at www.gears.gg.

The Game Awards 2016

The Game Awards 2016 take place today, and we’re incredibly honored to be nominated in the “Best Action Game” and “Best Multiplayer Game” categories. As an added bonus, our friends Run The Jewels will be performing live at the show in a special Gears themed performance! The show kicks off on Xbox Live from 8:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM PT.

To celebrate the upcoming Run The Jewels tour, the RTJ Airdrop featuring 20 guaranteed RTJ-themed items is BACK. The Airdrop contains El-P and Killer Mike as playable characters for Versus and Horde, 14 weapon skins, two emblems and two bounties! You can find it on the Xbox Store now.

Never A Better Time To Join The Fight

There’s still plenty more to come from Gears of War 4 this December! The Gears Holiday tradition of “Gearsmas” will be returning in style, with new content to earn through play, special holiday heads and a new Special Event featuring a wintery twist on a classic Gears of War weapon. We’ll be talking more about “Gearsmas” soon, as well as some first looks at what else is coming this December.

If you haven’t picked up Gears of War 4 yet, that’s not the only reason now is a great time to jump in. Starting today through December 28, Gears 4 is featured in the Xbox Store Holiday Sales for 33% off! Click this link to find the price in your region.

If you’re already part of the Gears family or just about to join us, stay tuned for more news throughout December including details on “Gearsmas” and a few other surprises!