Gears of War 4: First trailer bridges gap between original trilogy and Xbox One game

Microsoft has released a dramatic new trailer for upcoming muscle-bound sequel Gears of War 4, and it dramatically bridges the gap between where the story left off in 2011's Gears of War 3 and where we'll find things in the new game.

Set to Disturbed's cover of Simon and Garfunkel's Sound of Silence, the trailer shows Marcus Fenix cutting down and picking up trees, as his son JD Fenix runs up to him in happier times. This is interspersed with footage of a grown up JD – Gears 4's protagonist – running from a new threat.

You can watch the new trailer below.

The trailer's release follows the announcement last week that the game – the first in the series developed by new creative leads The Coalition – will launch on 11 October, 2016. The reins were handed to the new studio after Microsoft purchased the IP from Epic Games in 2014.

Set 25 years after the events of Gears 3, the game follows JD – son of Marcus and Anya – as a new enemy emerges from the slaughter left behind when Marcus and co brought an end to humanity's conflict with the Locust horde. The trailer also begs the question as to where Marcus Fenix is at the time of Gears 4, and how that might factor into the story.

Fans will be able to sample the game next week when a multiplayer beta opens on 18 April. Running for a fortnight on Xbox One, the beta's first week will be available to anyone who bought Gears of War: Ultimate Edition before 12 April. The second week will open up to everyone else with an Xbox Live Gold subscription on 25 April, culminating on 1 May.

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