Microsoft Game Studios and Ensemble Studios announced today that Halo Wars™, the highly anticipated action strategy game based on the legendary Halo universe, is finished and sent to manufacturing! Created from the ground up for the Xbox 360® console and controller, Halo Wars combines a peerless control scheme and gameplay with an incredibly rich, epic story set 20 years prior to the story told in Halo: Combat Evolved.

The result is a commanding experience that is a must-have for Halo fans and a title that is sure to become a classic among fans of strategy games.

Video Documentary
As you eagerly wait for launch day, a video documentary series announced today will explore defining themes of Halo Wars and give you a behind-the-scenes look at the game's development and some of the people involved in its creation. The premier episode captures key elements that frame Halo Wars gameplay—the controls, perspective, and strategy.

Video Documentary One
Watch the developers explain the game's controls, perspective, and strategy.

Demo Details
In addition, the recently announced Xbox LIVE® demo for Halo Wars will land on Marketplace on February 5 at 2:00 A.M. Pacific Time. In the demo, explore Ensemble's groundbreaking control scheme in optional beginner and advanced tutorials, or jump right into the action to experience the beginning of the Halo Wars story with the first two campaign missions.

The demo also includes Chasms, one of the Halo Wars 14 multiplayer maps, where you can battle it out in Skirmish mode vs. A.I. Play as either as the UNSC with Captain Cutter's leader powers, or as the Covenant with the Prophet of Regret's own unique abilities. Don't forget to set your Xbox to download this demo!

Game Details
Halo Wars is an exciting strategy game exclusive to Xbox 360. In campaign mode, command the armies of the UNSC warship Spirit of Fire, with familiar and new UNSC units in its initial encounters against the Covenant, an alien coalition threatening to obliterate mankind. Halo Wars immerses you in an early period of the storied Halo universe, allowing you to experience events leading up to the first Halo title for Xbox.