Hot on the heels of the new launch trailer for Gears of War 4 released yesterday, we get word that the game has officially gone gold, with the game code being shipped off for manufacturing.

Coalition studio chief Rod Fergusson and Xbox boss Phil Spencer were on hand for the group photo shoot, and to say nice things about the history of the franchise and the game's development.

“This has been a real homecoming for me,” said Fergusson, who was with Epic Games for the original Gears of War and became executive producer on the trilogy. “Coming back to Xbox to lead a studio of talented people from around the world, all focused on Gears of War, and doing so in my home country of Canada in one of the best cities in the world for technology and entertainment has been a dream come true.”

“Ten years ago, Gears of War was the killer app that brought millions into the Xbox family,” Spencer said. “It’s combination of innovative technology, unique gameplay, and trademark storytelling changed the game forever.”

When released, Gears of War 4 will support Cross Play between Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs for all game modes.