Halo Wars 2 Won't Get Any More Updates, No Sequel Planned

It's the end of the road for Halo Wars 2. Four years after the game released, Microsoft has now announced it has no future plans for the game and there are no plans for a sequel.

"It's not always easy to be open and transparent--particularly when we expect it's not an answer the community wants to hear--but we want to give it to you straight: 343 Industries has no current plans for further Halo Wars 2 work including content updates, balance patches, bringing the title to other platforms, or a new game in the series," community manager John Junyszek said in a blog post. "We will, however, continue to monitor the game and ensure everything is working as expected."

Junyszek clarified that these are Microsoft's plans right now. Plans could change, but for now, there will be no more Halo Wars 2 updates and no Halo Wars 3.

"We did use the word 'currently' because it's the truth--as of today, there is no plan for the development team to re-engage with Halo Wars 2 and we aren't working on a new game in the series at this time," Junyszek said. "But, we're specifically never going to say never because, well, who knows what the future may bring. We know constantly waiting and wondering is equal parts frustrating and exhausting, so we hope this clarity helps alleviate some of that and we want to set clear expectations that there is no work happening on Halo Wars."

Junyszek said Microsoft is backing away from Halo Wars 2 due to time and resources. Instead of new content or a sequel for Halo Wars 2, the team at 343 Industries is supporting Halo: The Master Chief Collection, while the majority of the team is focused on finishing Halo Infinite and then working on its post-launch content.

"The 343 Publishing team has no shortage of ideas and inspiration to pursue for MCC and plenty of ongoing work to support the Halo franchise. Meanwhile, the majority of the studio is incredibly focused working towards Halo Infinite's launch (and you may have also heard, 'launch is only the beginning')," Junyszek said. "Given the broader impact initiatives the studio is already committed to, we unfortunately can't devote the time and attention we’d need to deliver additional updates and content for the Halo Wars franchise."

Junyszek wrapped up his note by saying Halo Wars 2 holds a special place in the team's heart and the studio feels grateful for the support of fans over the years.

"Thank you again to everyone in the Halo Wars community for your support and we look forward to facing The Banished together again this Fall in Halo Infinite," he said.

Halo Wars 2 was developed by Total War studio Creative Assembly, and it released in 2017 for PC and Xbox One behind good reviews.