Halo Wars Update

Ensemble Studios has provided an update on the status of Halo Wars, the next real-time strategy game from the creators of Age of Empires.

"Last week, a bunch of Microsoft Games Studio (MGS) big wigs were down here to view the latest build of our game. This was more than a conventional milestone, as they sat down to play the game and get a hands on feel on how the project is really coming along. Our visitors included Shane Kim, the head of MGS, and a number of his cohorts. We made sure we had a fairly polished build of our game ready for these folks to play, including some wicked new UI work by Ensemble Studios Artist Andy Gotcher and Programmer Billy Khan. By all accounts the Microsoft gang had a good time with the game and was quite impressed with its current state. We've got a long way to go still, but it's very encouraging when a group like this can sit down and have fun beating the hell out of each other so far from any ship date.

With this latest build of the game, everyone at Ensemble Studios was invited to join in on an afternoon of multiplayer Halo Wars! I had a win and two losses, but generally felt like I was starting to shed my newb shoes."