Halo Wars put an unusual spin on the Halo universe when it released on the Xbox 360 in 2009, not only going back in the timeline to cover a very different angle of the war against the fanatical alien Covenant faction, but also redesigning the gameplay to unfold in a real-time strategy style! The game was well-received, though developer, Ensemble Studios soon after closed its doors, casting doubt on a potential sequel for quite a while.
Fortunately, it appears that those times of uncertainty are now behind us! Microsoft announced Halo Wars 2 during their Gamescom press briefing today, which will come to both Xbox One and Windows 10 PC’s for Fall 2016. The game will be developed by Creative Assembly, who are most often known for working with Sega, specifically on the Total War series, as well as hit licensed survival-horror game, Alien: Isolation. As with its predecessor, the game will be a real-time strategy game that details key battles in the background of the Halo universe, though Microsoft didn’t detail when it will be set, or whether it may reference or expand upon other games or related media in the Halo franchise. Sadly, they were also mum on any potential additions or revisions to the gameplay mechanics, in contrast to the game’s Xbox 360 predecessor that’s been available for years.
The first Halo Wars unfolded around two decades before the events of the original Halo: Combat Evolved, with the war against the Covenant first heating up. The game also featured both a local and online multiplayer skirmish mode, where players could pit their forces and tactical knowhow against an opposing player-controlled army. Halo Wars was also unanimously praised as being the first video game to perfect real-time strategy gaming on a console, and keeping it there, with a PC port never ultimately being made. That seems to be changing with Halo Wars 2 however, which will launch a PC version for Windows 10 users, alongside the Xbox One build.
Keep mobilizing Eggplante for all news and updates on Halo Wars, and other developments in the Halo franchise.