Launch day for the Gears of War title is inside 30 days, and Cary-based Epic Games is upping the hype for what it hopes is another big-seller in the $1 billion, more than 19 million copies sold history of the franchise.

“Gears of War: Judgment” hits store shelves on March 19. It’s the fourth in the Gears franchise that dates back to 2006. 

On Tuesday, Epic and game publisher Microsoft unveil a new video trailer that they say showcases the “guts” of the “bone-crushing action” with an emphasis on its multiplayer features.

They also say Judgment is “the most intense Gears game” to date, which is saying a lot given the sales history, awards won and the relentless free-for-all war pitting man against Locust Hordes that Epic created.

Here are some of the highlights from Epic:

  • Multiplayer Modes:

Highlighted in the video are the following four multiplayer modes, with more to be announced as we get closer to launch:

1. OverRun:

OverRun marks the first time that class-based competitive multiplayer has been introduced into the “Gears of War” series. Think of it as a combination of our popular Beast and Horde modes pitted against each other. OverRun is a 5v5 attack/defend game type, where the COG are always defending, and the Locust are attacking… and you have an opportunity to play both as attacker and defender to determine the winning team.

2. Team Deathmatch:

In this returning fan-favorite, two teams of five players start with a shared pool of respawns. The goal is to take out your opponents and deplete their respawns before your own pool is gone. Perfect for “Gears” veterans and new recruits alike, Team Deathmatch has everyone battling to be the last squad standing.

 3. Free-For-All:

Free-For-All is an “every player for themselves” Deathmatch mode. No teams mean shoot anything that moves. The perfect mode for relieving some stress.

 4. Domination:

Domination is a 5v5 team based competitive multiplayer mode. Teams will compete over three rings placed throughout the map. Control the ring to earn points, the first team to 250 points wins the match.

  • Armory Updates:

Not only are there new grenades for any situation you might encounter online, but Epic also confirmed that players will have the ability to toss grenades without a windup – a new addition to the franchise built specifically for quick, close-quarter encounters. Adding to the expansive war chest of returning weapons and grenade types, below are six new additions to the “Gears” arsenal:

1. Sticky Grenades: Like Frag Grenades, these cause lethal damage to opponents, except they stick to targets before detonation.

2. Beacon Grenades – The Beacon is a tactical grenade most commonly used by COG Scouts. It electronically marks all enemy targets in its blast radius, and reveals their position for a short time, even though walls and other obstacles of any thickness.

3. Stim Grenades – The Stim is an extremely useful tool for Medics and those wishing to play a support role in combat. When detonated, it emits a cloud of medicinal gas that will instantly heal all friendly targets within its radius.

4. Markza: Before the Locust invaded Sera, the people of the COG had spent decades at war with the Union of Independent Republics, and the Markza is one of the UIR’s most infamous weapons. This semi-automatic rifle is perfect for medium range combat, with a deep clip and an attached scope that extends its effective range and ensures greater accuracy at distance.

5. Breechshot – The Locust are more than just a brute force, and the Breechshot is a shining example of their ingenuity and tactics: the base of the gun is a confiscated UIR Markza that has been converted to inflict massive amounts of damage. The barrel has a larger bore to support a higher-caliber projectile, and the stock has been retrofitted with a vicious blade making this versatile weapon perfect for short to medium range combat.

6. Booshka – The Booshka is a devastating grenade launcher of UIR design. It is capable of lobbing smart shells that detonate on direct impact with an enemy, or bounce off walls and other obstacles to detonate off a brief timer.

  • Rewards:

With “Gears of War: Judgment,” your multiplayer career is always in your control; the better you play, the bigger the payoff. With Prizeboxes, players can earn XP bonuses and exclusive unlocks like weapon and armor skins to get a leg up on the competition.

[EPIC ARCHIVE: Check out more than a decade of Epic stories as reported in WRAL Tech Wire.]