Gears of War 4 is a 2016 third-person shooter game developed by The Coalition and published by Microsoft Studios for Windows and Xbox One. It is the fourth main installment in the Gears of War series, and the first mainline entry not to be developed by Epic Games. Taking place 25 years after the events of Gears of War 3, the game's plot, which can be played in single or co-operative play, focuses on James Dominic "JD" Fenix, son of Marcus Fenix, as he and his allies take on the Swarm, a new threat related to the Locusts.