Gears of War fans got a good idea of what’s to come with Gears 5 thanks to its reveal at E3, and a steady stream of teases from The Coalition. The developer has been rather open about its goals for the game and what players can expect when the title launches next year. That said, it seems the studio isn’t above prompting questions among the franchise’s fan base.

Earlier this week, The Coalition revealed the existence of a brand new character in Gears 5. His name is Fahz Chutani, and only three other things are known about him. He appears to be affiliated with the new COG along with James Fenix. He’s armed with a new Lancer variant, and he knows how to wear a pair of sunglasses. Beyond that, the man’s a mystery.

Going back to that new Lancer for a moment, one can’t help but notice that the weapon’s signature blade has been replaced entirely by this new attachment. This could mean that this Lancer is cutting-edge COG tech, which would make Fahz a member of some elite unit. However, Coalition has already revealed that Gears 5 will have more open-world elements. So, this could also be nothing more than a weapon attachment players will have the option of putting on his gun.

As for what it does, many fans think it’s a grenade launcher. It’s a good guess since the Gears games have yet to feature such a weapon. Then again, grenades have traditionally been powerful, but awkward weapons in the series’ universe, and it’s hard to see The Coalition completely and suddenly changing that.

With Gears 5, The Coalition is beginning the process of at least slightly re-branding Gears of War, and it’s clear that the game will be introducing several new wrinkles to the established formula. So who knows, maybe customizable weapons and grenade-launcher attachments aren’t out the question after all. The Gears of War games are currently seen as a touch stale, so maybe these kinds of potential changes are just what the series needs to start picking up steam again.

Gears 5 is currently scheduled to release at some point in 2019 for PC and Xbox One.

Source: Twitter