Co-developed by 343 Industries and Creative Assembly and released in 2017, Halo Wars 2 is a very decent RTS; it's a little too console-oriented and less strategic to differentiate itself as a serious strategy game on the PC, but anyway That's not what this title is about anyway.

"It's aimed at Halo shooter fans who want to see that universe from a perspective other than the rifle's sights, rather than the hardcore who are eager to check out the announcement of a new expansion for Ashes of the Singularity," we said in our 65% review . And for the most part, it does its job."

Things continued to improve as 343 rolled out updates adding new content and cross-play support over the course of 2017, but by the end of the year that stopped, and in a 2019 response to a petition to resume support for Halo Wars 2, 343 said, "It's not possible."

"We are currently working on a new Halo Wars 2.

"The same team that is currently working on bringing MCC to PC and Halo: Reach to MCC (the 343 publishing team) is also the team that helped make Halo Wars 2 a reality," the studio explained." Due to the large scope and enormous amount of work surrounding the PC version of MCC, resources previously focused on Halo Wars 2 have been pulled out to support the development of MCC and Halo: Reach."

The studio explained, 7]

"This does not mean that the team will not revisit 'Halo Wars 2' in the future - never say never, but it does mean that these requests are ones the team cannot commit to in the immediate future."

[However, with "The Master Chief Collection" complete and the final piece of the puzzle, "Halo 4," released on November 17, the question is: "Will the team be able to commit to "Halo Wars 2" in the foreseeable future? Unfortunately, the answer remains "no."

"We always strive to be open, honest, and transparent with our community, and we know that many of you are waiting, asking, and hoping for news about the future of Halo Wars 2. We want to acknowledge that your voices have been heard and ensure that this feedback and these topics are indeed brought to the right people throughout the studio for further evaluation."

"In the past, we have stated that our publishing team is fully focused on MCC and there are no plans to return to Halo Wars 2 at this time. Now that all titles are available on PC, these questions are being raised again, but the 343 publishing team is working on further MCC seasonal content along with a variety of features and further improvements. While it is not always easy to be open and transparent, we want to be upfront about it, especially when we expect it to not be the answer the community wants. 343 Industries is currently working on content updates, balance patches, ports to other platforms, and series We have no plans for further development of Halo Wars 2, including a new title.

343 preemptively admits to using the word "currently," which implies that it may happen someday. And it is possible, just as it is possible for me to win a million dollars or be abducted by aliens: anything is possible, but don't hold your breath.

"If you had told me back in the day that the entirety of MCC would land on Steam, or that Halo 3 would get a content update 14 years after launch, I never would have believed you." We know that the constant waiting and wondering is equal parts frustration and exhaustion." "We hope this clarification will help alleviate some of that." "We would like to set a clear expectation that no work has been done on Halo Wars."

As for why not return to that particular drawing board, it is simply a matter of available time and resources: the majority of the studio is focused on Halo Infinite, and "given the broader impact initiatives to which the studio is already committed, it is unfortunate that we have not been able to provide a . cannot devote the time and attention necessary to provide additional updates and content for the 'Halo Wars' franchise."