This summary of the video was created by an AI. It might contain some inaccuracies.
00:00:00 – 00:13:00
The video clarifies misconceptions around the state of Halo Wars 2, emphasizing that despite 343 Industries stopping official support, the game maintains a significant player base. Issues like a lack of season resets, bugs, and balance problems remain, yet the community thrives, supported by initiatives like "Halo Warpo," a platform created by a developer named Warrener. Halo Warpo tracks player statistics through the Halo API, providing valuable insights into player counts and game activity, with data indicating a consistent monthly user base between 78,000 and 84,000 players. This data underscores Halo Wars 2's standing among Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games, with comparisons drawn to titles like Age of Empires 4 and Company of Heroes 2, suggesting Halo Wars 2 ranks in the top 15 to 20 most-played RTS games. The speaker touches on uncertainties surrounding Microsoft's future plans for the game, noting recent leadership changes within 343 Industries that could impact the series' future, including potential developments for a Halo Wars 3. Viewers are encouraged to engage in the conversation and support ongoing community efforts like those by Warrener.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, the speaker addresses the misconception that Halo Wars 2 is dead, explaining that 343 Industries stopped working on the game a while ago, leading to issues like no season resets, game-breaking bugs, and balance problems. Despite these issues and the game’s limited accessibility on PC, Halo Wars 2 still has a surprisingly thriving player base. The speaker mentions the discontinuation of Halo Wars 2 stats on Halo Waypoint, followed by the introduction of Halo Warpo, a fan-made site that tracks these stats through the Halo API. This platform offers a comprehensive overview of player data, filling the gap left by 343’s decision to not officially track these stats anymore.
00:03:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the challenges of tracking player statistics for Halo Wars 2 and introduces “Halo Warpo,” a project by an individual named Warrener. Warrener uses the Halo API to track player stats and has made this information, including player counts, publicly available. As of the video’s release, recent player count data from June to August is shared, showing consistent numbers around 78,000 to 84,000 unique players each month. The speaker encourages viewers to support Warrener’s ongoing updates and additional features on the Halo Warpo platform.
00:06:00
In this part of the video, the speaker explains how data is gathered using an API to scrape game history from gamertags, forming a comprehensive dataset of game histories for Halo Wars 2. This method accumulates a vast amount of gamertags and their respective game data, excluding offline and campaign modes. The numbers obtained are reliable representations of the game’s online activity. Additionally, the speaker notes that the data includes both Xbox and PC players and compares these numbers to Steam RTS games like Age of Empires, recognizing that while the comparison isn’t perfect, it provides a useful perspective on Halo Wars 2’s standing among other RTS games. The speaker then begins a numerical comparison using player counts from June, July, and August, starting with Age of Empires 4.
00:09:00
In this part of the video, the speaker compares the monthly player counts for three Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games: Age of Empires 4 (Age4), Company of Heroes 2, and Halo Wars 2. Estimates for monthly players on Steam are given for Age4 and Company of Heroes 2 over June, July, and August, using data from Steam charts. The speaker highlights the difficulty of placing Halo Wars 2 accurately on a popularity list due to its absence from Steam, but suggests it could be in the top 15 to 20 most-played RTS games based on the estimated numbers. The speaker underlines that these estimates are not definitive or scientific but can give a rough idea of the game’s popularity compared to others on the platform.
00:12:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses surprising information and uncertainties regarding Microsoft’s future plans with Halo Wars 2, particularly whether Microsoft will continue to monitor and possibly revive the game despite dropping official support. The recent changes within 343 Industries, including a new head interested in RTS games, are highlighted as potentially influencing the game’s future, and there’s speculation about the possibility of Halo Wars 3 being more likely now than a few years ago. The speaker concludes by asking viewers to share their thoughts in the comments and encourages them to support a creator named Warrener.