As of this writing, there have been two Halo Wars games released that brought the world of Halo to the RTS genre. Players have been able to control UNSC or Covenant forces in large-scale battles across exciting canon campaigns and multiplayer battles. The games were received well, but Microsoft has not announced any plans to make a third one s. As Halo Infinite prepares to kickstart Season 2, it might be the perfect time to make a third Halo Wars.

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The Halo Wars Story

In 2009. Microsoft released the first Halo Wars game with Ensemble Studios. It took place 21 years before Halo: Combat Evolved, and had players lead a group of UNSC soldiers on the Spirit of Fire. They had to fight back against the Covenant to protect an ancient fleet of ships from falling into their hands. The story helped build out the world of Halo more and provided a game that did not involve Master Chief, bridging the gap between Halo 3 and Halo: Reach alongside Halo 3: ODST.

Fans of Halo Wars would not be given another entry in the series until 2017’s Halo Wars 2. This time, Creative Assembly headed up development as it had shown success in the RTS genre with its popular Total War series. The story once again followed the Spirit of Fire, but this time they had to fight back against the new alien faction known as the Banished. The Banished would later be the main villains of Halo Infinite, which would launch four years later. Halo Wars 2 took place shortly after the events of Halo 5: Guardians as the crew tried to prevent the Banished from taking the Ark. The game provided players with some Halo content during the long wait between Halo 5: Guardians and Halo Infinite, and helped build out the world leading into this latest release.

Why Halo Wars 3 Should Happen

Both Halo Wars and Halo Wars 2 provided fans of the franchise with content to tie them over until the next mainline entry was released. Halo Wars 2 even served as an introduction to the Banished and chronicled the events after Halo 5: Guardians. The end credits of Halo Wars 2 hinted at a continuation, but 343 Industries has said there are no plans at this stage. While Halo Infinite continues its seasonal multiplayer, fans of the franchise would undoubtedly love more story to tide them over.

Halo Infinite’s story campaign was a huge innovation for the franchise, but its multiplayer has not been as well received. Many have said that the gameplay is fun, but that the cosmetics and the unlocks are lackluster. There are also many fan-favorite modes that did not make the cut in its first season, and there are not many maps to play. A lot of Halo fans have decided to either play the campaign again or check out other games. Providing players with another piece of the Halo story through a Halo Wars 3 would give them a game to turn to once they no longer want to play Halo Infinite.

Halo Wars 3 could also be used to bridge the gap between Halo Infinite and whatever comes next. However, it could also fill in some gaps between various Halo titles, or even tell the story of what happened to Spartan Locke and his team from Halo 5: Guardians. Providing players with more Halo to turn to once they get bored by another Halo game would be a great move by 343 Industries, as already fans have been returning to Halo: The Master Chief Collection due to their frustrations with Halo Infinite’s multiplayer.

The Halo Wars spin-off series has garnered many fans over the years, allowing other companies to experiment with Halo in the RTS genre. It would be a shame if Halo Wars 3 never saw the light of day, and now would be the perfect time to announce one. As fans are looking toward what is next for the Halo brand, a Halo Wars 3 could bridge the gap and further build out the expansive universe.

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