But Halo Wars wasn’t the only game in the mix.Īround 2004, Ensemble began development of a PC MMO codenamed Titan.

The studio’s founder, Tony Goodman, considered the publisher “ pretty risk averse.” All of this led to the RTS concept that became Halo Wars in-mid 2006. Microsoft had acquired Ensemble in 2001, and getting these ideas greenlit was a difficult task. Half of the team was focused on finding the next big hit. Most never left the rough prototype stage. The team, known the Age of Empires and Age of Mythology series, had been iterating on several potential projects. Years before the 2009 release of Ensemble Studios’ real-time strategy title Halo Wars, there was a bigger idea in the works at Ensemble. From an attempt to see Master Chief on a handheld console to collaborations with director Peter Jackson, the history of Halo projects cut short is vast and fascinating. To celebrate Halovember, we decided to look back on those we know. That’s far from unique in the game industry, and we wouldn’t be surprised if there were even more attempts that never became public knowledge. In that time, we’ve heard of quite a few Halo projects that never saw the light of day. Master Chief has become an iconic hero, carrying the series on his shoulders for 20 years.

Ever since Halo debuted at Macworld in 1999, the franchise has been a staple of the game industry.

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