Gears of War 4 Launch Day Pre-Load Has Day One Patch

In response to a fan on Twitter, The Coalition studio head, Rod Fergusson, confirms that the day one patch for Gears of War 4 is included in the digital preload process.

After a small hiatus and an IP move from Epic Games to Microsoft, the next entry in the Gears of War franchise is just a few short weeks away. Now under the care of The Coalition, Gears of War 4 looks to build upon the legacy its predecessors have created over the years by featuring a new story line, new characters, and new game mechanics such as the inclusion of Gear Packs and modifiers. Microsoft is making sure that nothing is standing in the way for players on launch day as there won’t be any additional updates or patches to download for those who pre-loading the game.

The dreaded day one patch, which includes additional fixes and improvements developers couldn’t squeeze into the game in time, is actually already included in the preload for fans who digitally pre-ordered Gears of War 4. The Coalition studio head and longtime Gears of War developer, Rod Fergusson confirmed the news over his Twitter account in response to an inquisitive fan. Considering that many were surprised at how much space the game needed, this news helps that make a little more sense.

Zero - it's all there now. #GearsofWar4 https://t.co/jEN0u5zUD4— Rod Fergusson (@GearsViking) September 30, 2016

Unfortunately, details on what the day one patch contains has not been revealed by The Coalition or Microsoft as of yet, though fans should expect to see news on that closer to launch. In addition, it’s worth noting that players who opt to pick up a physical copy of Gears of War 4 will still be required to download the update once the game launches however.

While it’s common for many games to issue out a day one patch in an effort to fix issues found after a game goes gold and sent to manufacturing such as the controversial No Man’s Sky, a new trend appears to be emerging. A week prior to the launch of Destiny: Rise of Iron, Bungie managed to add all day one updates into the sizable patch 2.4. In addition to updating a number of features in the game, one of the biggest bonuses for fans was that it completely eliminated the day one patch, ensuring that players could jump into the action much faster than they normally would have.

Are you a fan of this new day one patch procedure? Are you picking up a copy of Gears of War 4 or are you holding out and waiting for reviews? Let us know your thoughts below in the comments.

Gears of War 4 officially launches on October 11, 2016 for Xbox One and Windows 10 PC, but Ultimate Edition owners can start playing early on October 7.

Source: Rod Fergusson – Twitter