Summary
Over 15 years after its original release,Halo Wars' lead designer, Dave Pottinger, has explained why Master Chief never made an appearance in the game.Master Chief is the iconic mascot of theHaloseries, but does not show up anywhere near Ensemble Studios' RTS,Halo Wars.
Originally released in 2009 as anXbox 360 exclusive,Halo Warsput a twist on the typicalHaloformula. Instead of being an FPS, like otherHalogames,Halo Warswas a real-time strategy game, allowing players to fight the Human-Covenant War on a grander scale. The game was set 21 years beforeHalo: Combat Evolved, so it was able to tell a new story without existing series favorites. Because of its exclusivity on the Xbox 360, it had to work entirely on a controller, which had typically been a struggle for RTS games in the past. However,Halo Warsdid a solid job in bringing the complexity of the real-time strategy genre to consoles, and stands the test of time to this day.
Those who remember theHalo Warsstory know thatMaster Chiefdoes not appear. Players can control Spartans as a powerful unit on the battlefield, but not the most famous one of all. In an interview withVideoGamer,Halo Warslead designer Dave Pottinger explained that the studio “didn’t want to use Master Chief.” The reason for this is simple. “We were telling the game that needed you to care about everybody else. We thought as soon as Master Chief shows up, that’s all anybody’s going to [care about].”
Halo Wars Developer “Didn’t Want to Use Master Chief”
It’s certainly a fair assumption. Throughout mostgames in theHaloseries, players control the Master Chief, and at that point, they had played as the character for eight years. Even now, Master Chief is used as a crutch for the franchise to fall back on, so getting players on board for a story not involving the character likely needed to cut ties entirely.Halo Warsstands as a great story in its own right, so in hindsight, Ensemble Studios probably made the right decision on this one.
As soon as Master Chief shows up, that’s all anybody’s going to [care about].
It has been almost eight years now since the release ofHalo Wars 2. In February 2025, the wait for a new game in the subseries will extend to as long as the gap between the original and its sequel. Considering the popularity ofHalo Wars, it’s somewhat surprising to see that a new game hasn’t been released during this time. When343 Industries changed its name to Halo Studios earlier this year, it was revealed that the developer has severalHaloprojects in the works right now. While nothing is confirmed, fans only hope one is a newHalo Warstitle.
Halo Wars
WHERE TO PLAY
Halo Wars: Definitive Edition is an enhanced version of the real-time strategy classic, Halo Wars, updated to run natively on Xbox One and Windows PCs. Supports Xbox Play Anywhere: yours to play on both Xbox One and Windows 10 PC at no additional cost. Cross-play with Windows Store versions and Steam versions of the same game is not supported.Set earlier on in the iconic war between the Covenant and UNSC timeline made famous by the Halo FPS games beginning with Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo Wars: Definitive Edition provides a unique angle on the war while bringing new heroes to the battlefield. Control large Halo armies and direct them in action-packed warfare.Halo Wars: Definitive Edition includes improved graphics for modern machines, new achievements and all the DLC from the landmark game. Re-live the epic campaign or compete in online multiplayer battles with armies of powerful Halo forces at your command.
