Halo Wars 2

"Know your enemy."

- Official tagline

Halo Wars 2 is an upcoming real-time strategy video game and a direct sequel to Halo Wars, developed by both Creative Assembly and 343 Industries and published by Microsoft Studios. It was first revealed at Gamescom 2015 with a teaser trailer. The game will be released simultaneously on Windows 10 and Xbox One on February 21, 2017, and will be playable at the E3 2016.

Plot
"There's a sense of scale and scale that I think was maybe missing from Halo Wars."

- Frank O'Connor

Halo Wars 2 takes place twenty-eight years after the events of Halo Wars in 2531, after  had floated adrift in space for decades and declared by the rest of the United Nations Space Command as "lost with all hands". The remaining crew of Spirit of Fire are awoken from cryo-sleep above the Forerunners' Installation 00, previously the setting for Halo 3. Led by Captain James Cutter, the crew of Spirit of Fire encounter the violent mercenary faction known as The Banished, led by the cunning Jiralhanae warlord Atriox. Having previously battled the Covenant, the Banished rose to power in wake of the empire's fall in 2552 by gaining control of numerous assets from the Covenant.

According to franchise director Frank O'Connor, a primary theme of the game is two commanders from two very different backgrounds facing off against each other in an attempt to gain control of Installation 00. The crew of Spirit of Fire, having been in cryo-sleep since 2531, are unaware of the nature of the installation nor do they know the result of the Human-Covenant War. In an effort to return home, Cutter leads the ship's crew to the surface of Installation 00 to search for a way to reconnect with the rest of the UNSC. It is at this time that the crew encounter Atriox and The Banished. While Halo Wars 2 will tonally feel like a direct continuation of Halo Wars, managing director Kevin Grace claims that the game will have a similar tone to Halo: Combat Evolved, as the game's setting is primarily contained within one location.

Gameplay
Halo Wars 2 is a real-time strategy video game with two playable factions: the United Nations Space Command and the Banished. The game's campaign will consist of thirteen missions, lasting around 10-12 hours.

The multiplayer mode will feature a number of gamemodes and will support up to six players, one for each leader in the game; known leaders are Captain James Cutter and Atriox. Skirmish allows players, through solo or cooperative play, to battle against AIs with a range of difficulty levels. Strongholds is a fast-paced, timed gamemode where players must control more bases than their opponent when the timer stops to win. Domination centers around players building bases, armies, and battling for control of the map. Deathmatch will also involve players building up their own bases and armies, though players battle to eliminate one another rather than taking control of the map. Blitz will be a new gamemode with an unique approach to RTS gameplay.

Development
Blur Studio will once again create pre-rendered CGI sequences for the game's cutscenes.

After the announcement of Halo Wars 2, Creative Assembly went on to publicly advertise positions working on the game.

Halo Wars 2 Announce Trailer
On August 4, 2015, at Gamescom 2015, Halo Wars 2 was first announced by Bonnie Ross. The Halo Wars 2: Announce Trailer is a pre-rendered trailer showcasing Halo Wars 2. The trailer was created and produced by Blur Studio, in collaboration with 343 Industries and Creative Assembly. It was directed by Blur Studio's Dave Wilson.

Atriox statues
Around August to November 4, 2015, for the numerous parties involved in Halo Wars 2, Jeremy Cook, Art Director at 343 Industries, made 3, 9 inch, statues of Atriox, who was featured in the announcement trailer. The statues were made using the very detailed highpoly meshes Blur studio made, and the statues are fully colored, the skin and hair is blue and grey, and armor is metallic.

The first statue was finished sometime before August 21. The second bust was finished during a power cut on September 1, and was given to Creative Assembly, The third and final statue was colored using a Valejo airbrush primer, with its color blended in so it can be detailed and highlighted, to finally be finished on November 4, and was given to Blur Studios.

Halo Wars 2 toys
On February 12, 2016, numerous toys were announced with the start of a partnership with Mattel. Two of which were the MegaBloks Jackrabbit, and the Boomco Type-25 Spiker set to be featured in Halo Wars 2.

E3 2016
At E3 2016, a Halo Wars 2 demo was playable. Also at E3 was shown the Halo Wars 2 Official E3 trailer, and a behind the scenes of that specific trailer.

Halo War 2 Open Beta
During E3 2016 it was announced that between June 13 and June 20, 2016 a open beta for Halo Wars 2 would be available. The beta was later extended an additional three days. Another Beta for both Xbox One and Windows 10 will be available closer to the game's full launch.

RTX 2016
At RTX 2016, a cinematic trailer for Halo Wars 2 was revealed during 343 Industries' panel on July 2, 2016.