Microsoft launches “Halo Wars 2” on Xbox One worldwide

Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled the real-time strategy video game “Halo Wars 2” is available on Xbox One and Windows 10 PC worldwide.

The game is managed and developed by 343 Industries and Creative Assembly, a subsidiary of Microsoft Studios. It is set in the science fiction universe of the Halo series in the year 2559, and is a sequel to the 2009 game Halo Wars.

Dan Ayoub, Studio Head of Strategy Games at 343 Industries, in a blog post said that eight years is certainly a long time to wait and it feels surreal to say that Halo Wars 2 is finally launching worldwide.

He said that they are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work on Halo Wars 2 and for the patience of fans who have waited so long to get their “all units” on again.

Ayoub thanked their partners at Creative Assembly for challenging them to expand the Halo universe, the Blur Studios for their ability to see Halo even more clearly than them, and to Ensemble Studios and everyone who laid the foundation for the transition of both Halo and consoles to real-time strategy gaming.

Mike Ellis, Campaign Design Director said “I’m really looking forward to taking fans on an epic new journey in our universe. That and watching players turn Grunts into cheerfully exploding confetti while rainbow colored Locust beams turn bases into rubble – it never gets old.”

Technical Director Isaac Bender said “I want to thank everyone who participated in our betas. We got invaluable information from them that made a direct impact on the game.”

“On a more technical note, I’m really looking forward to seeing what fans do with the public stats APIs. Halo fans and RTS players are very dedicated communities so when they come together the results are going to be interesting,” he said.

Torey Allen, Associate Producer, said that that he is hopeful that people who do not normally play RTS games will give it a try as he thinks Halo Wars 2 has something fun for everyone.

“And I’m excited that we created a game with strong characters (including one awesome new female face for Halo) that hopefully everyone who plays can get excited about.”

Clay Jensen, Multiplayer Design Director, said that he hopes that the game has been made possible due to the passionate Halo Wars fans who waited for all these years and never thought that this day would come.

Ayoub said that they are excited to start playing the show gamers what is yet to come for Halo Wars 2. He said that they have already learned so much to make the game better and will use feedback to improve the gaming experience.

Miss the launch stream? Watch the recap. There’s plenty to see at https://t.co/zCdS17uCGf. #HaloWars2 [T] pic.twitter.com/LhsUu5f1Tx

— Xbox (@Xbox) February 18, 2017