While Halo Wars: Definitive Edition has been made available before, the revamped and more polished version of Ensemble Studios’ 2009 real-time strategy hit had been locked behind the Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition bundle up until this point. Given the decidedly average critical response to Halo Wars 2, it makes sense for Microsoft to free up another potential source of revenue as its own offering. To celebrate the release date being announced, Halo’s official YouTube channel released a stand-alone trailer for Halo Wars: Definitive Edition:
Halo Wars: Definitive Edition will be arriving on the Steam Store this Thursday, April 20, and will contain the base Halo Wars game as well as all of that title’s DLC. Unfortunately for gamers who play on different PC clients, Halo Wars: Definitive Edition won’t offer cross-play access to those playing on Windows 10 and Steam.
Still, the news that Halo Wars: Definitive Edition will be released as a stand-alone title on an easily accessible PC platform is big news for fans of the Halo series. Microsoft is clearly investing a lot of time into catching fans up on some of the missing lore behind the Halo franchise, and given 343 Industries’ commitment to the Halo series, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the next few PC offerings tie in to both Halo Wars and Halo Wars 2. If that happens, broader access to Halo Wars: Definitive Edition will certainly be a boon to players looking to catch up on the events of that game.
With both Halo Wars: Definitive Edition about to release on Steam and plans for new Halo Wars 2 campaign missions to come through DLC, now is a great time to be a RTS fan with a penchant for suiting up as the Master Chief. Halo Wars was an unexpected classic in its own time, and now gamers won’t have to pass on it just because it is locked behind another game’s bundle.
Halo Wars: Definitive Edition releases on April 20, 2017 for Windows 10, Steam, and Xbox One.
Source: YouTube
