Halo Wars lead explains why Master Chief was actually “off the table”, and it wasn’t Bungie’s fault

2009’s Halo Wars is now a cult-classic RTS, and many Halo fans’ favourite game in the series in terms of lore. Taking place years before the events of the original game, players control the Spirit of Fire, and the iconic Master Chief is nowhere to be seen.

In the years since its release, and developer Ensemble Games’ closure, countless online rumours have circulated. Many claim Bungie hated the game’s existence with some claiming the studio itself barred Ensemble from using Master Chief.

However, in an interview on an upcoming episode of the VideoGamer Podcast, Halo Wars lead designer Dave Pottniger explained that—for the most part—Bungie were excited about the existence of the RTS game. While some may have been annoyed by its existence, Pottinger revealed that Bungie were actually extremely helpful for the game.

Did Bungie hate Halo Wars?

In an article from 2012, Ensemble Games founder Tony Goodman claimed that Bungie were upset at the project’s existence with some believing it was “whoring out the franchise”. However, with more than a decade of space between the studio’s closure, and now working on a brand-new RTS game Project Citadel, Pottinger claims the opposite is mostly true.

“I think it’s an easy story to believe,” Pottinger said. “I can’t speak for everyone at Bungie, but the ones we worked with were all fantastic. And, to be honest, it was a fantastic business decision.”

Pottinger explained that Bungie gave them “the access” they needed to the Halo IP, claiming the franchise’s biggest heralds of the lore were “always fantastic”. However, the RTS game veteran admits that he “can’t imagine it was the best thing ever for somebody to come in and use their IP”.

So, didn’t Halo Wars use Master Chief?

Over the years, many have claimed that Halo Wars’ place as the earliest chronological entry and the exclusion of Master Chief in the game was down to Bungie’s involvement. Pottinger explained that Master Chief was always off the table, but not because of Bungie.

“We didn’t want to use Master Chief,” the developer explained, claiming that adding the iconic character would make every one gravitate towards them instead of other characters. “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].”

“[It was] one of the hardest things was we had these conversations seriously with people internally and externally,” he continued. “How can it be an RTS? Clearly Spartans are the best unit. Our challenge is making Spartans not the best unit, but making them an equal option for the other units. That’s what a strategy game is.”

“As soon as Master Chief shows up, that’s all anybody’s going to [care about].”

LEAD DESIGNER DAVE POTTINGER

Halo Wars released in 2009 to mixed reception, but it’s since become a cult-classic. While it’s not the most intense RTS, it does offer a different vibe. The game eventually gained a sequel by Creative Assembly which ended up redirecting to series’ entire universe with the introduction of The Banished. No third game has been announced.

For Pottinger’s mysterious new game, Project Citadel, Halo Wars’ pick-up-and-play nature does play a key part. However, you’ll have to listen to the upcoming episode of the VideoGamer Podcast—releasing on December 27^th, to find out more about that.

For more Halo coverage, listen to our interview with multiplayer announcer Jeff Steitzer or read about Master Chief voice actor Steve Downes’ thoughts on the Halo TV series.