Unless you haven't heard, Ensemble Studios - the guys behind the Age of Empires franchise - will be closing once they finish work on Halo Wars. Dave Pottinger, Ensembles' director of tech, says Microsoft's decision to close the studio "doesn't make a lot of sense."

Pottinger also talks about the development of Halo Wars, Microsoft in general, and the canceled Halo MMO project. Read about it after the link.

If you've been waiting for the Halo Wars Limited Collector's Edition, you can all heave a sigh of relief now as we've received word on when it'll come out. Microsoft says it's coming on February of next year, and what do you know, the Mythic Map Pack for Bungie's Halo 3 is also arriving along with it. You know where to go for more info: full article.

Rumors have been floating around since 2006 that a Halo MMO was in development, although this has never been solidly confirmed by any studio. It's recently revealed that the MMO was indeed real.

Unfortunately, it was canceled.

Yeah, anticlimactic huh? Anyway, check out screenshots of the never-to-be Halo MMO after the link.

It is official. The Covenant will indeed be playable in Ensemble Studios' upcoming RTS game, Halo Wars. To find out more about this, head on over to the full article by clicking on the "read more" link below.

Straight from a recent monthly update from Age of Empires creator Ensemble Studios comes the news that the Halo Wars Alpha test period is over. And while the developer was kind enough to spew personal recounts of the Alpha experience, they also revealed that they've lined up more info to unravel at the June issue of GamePro magazine. More at the full story.

A few weeks ago, we reported on a rumor about the existence of Halo Wars Alpha. Ensemble Studios has just confirmed its existence through the April Halo Wars update where the devs also provided a few details about the upcoming real-time strategy game. Head over the full article to find the updates.

Still hoping Ensemble Studios just might be making a PC port of the Xbox 360-exclusive Halo Wars RTS? A recent rumor indicated that this could be a possibility, although Microsoft says otherwise.

Details are up ahead in the full article.

Ensemble Studios finally unleashed screenshots of the Microsoft Xbox 360 title Halo Wars' multiplayer mode, and if you're remotely a fan of real-time strategy games or the Halo universe, they're worth checking out. Find the screens at the full article.

Waiting for an early taste of Ensemble Studios' Halo Wars RTS game for the Xbox 360? While the game isn't expected to deploy into retail until 2008, the demo that's expected to tease us on the title's features is expected to arrive soon. Very soon, it seems, based on this Leipzig 2007 video we've just picked up covering an interview with Ensemble's Executive Producer Harter Ryan.

Gaming features aside, Ryan states that the demo is expected to be available today - Monday (check out his statement 19 secs into the vid). Our last scan of Xbox Live didn't show the demo on our XBL list, though. We're just hoping that Ryan was on the mark, and that it might be landing later. Keep in touch in case we get updates, or if Halo Wars becomes a downloadable within the next few days.

 

While Bungie Studio's Halo 3 for the Xbox 360 isn't expected to be out until September 25, the game is already beginning to break sales records online. Microsoft has just sent out a press wire announcing that the game has already surpassed the 1 million mark in pre-orders.

Further confirming this announcement is a related statement made by Best Buy movies and games VP Jill Hamburger:

The excitement for Halo 3 is incredible. From our pre-orders online and the buzz we're hearing in our stores, we know this release is going to be one of the biggest entertainment events of the year. We're thrilled to be able to bring it to our customers.

Several consumer brands have also announced their own promotion campaigns for Halo 3: Mountain Dew, 7-Eleven, Pontiac, Comcast, Burger King Corp., and Projekt Revolution. Here reads a shortlist of what to expect  in the upcoming days:

• Mountain Dew:
• The new Game Fuel drink: A citrus, cherry-flavored version of the original Mountain Dew beverage with increased caffeine content. The drink will come in 20-ounce bottles, 2-liter bottles, and 12-packs of 12-ounce cans, and will be in circulation come August 13, 2007.
• 7-Eleven:
• Game Fuel and Doritos combo promos (watch your sugar intake, kids).
• In-store promotions including the introduction of three three Halo 3-branded collectible Slurpee cups.
• Store contests offering various prizes, such as a chance to be a voice actor in Ensemble Studios' upcoming Halo Wars game for the Xbox 360.
• Limited edition aluminum Game Fuel bottles, designed by the Bungie Studios devs.
• Pontiac:
• Gamers Garage events in select locations will provide fans with an opportunity to play the game before its release this September.
• The company will be releasing 1,000 copies of the game, with one lucky winner receiving a Halo 3-themed G6 GXP Street car.
• Burger King:
• Halo 3-themed food wrappers, including a 42-ounce cup and King FyPod. The promo is expected to take effect from Sept. 24 through Oct. 22.
• Comcast:
• Hosting for exclusive video content, including user-generated movies and machinima.
• Hosting for standard- and high-definition Halo 3 videos on its "On Demand" service.
• Projekt Revolution tour:
• Halo 3 is reported as an official sponsor of this event, which features Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance.
• Game-related VIP events will take place at certain cities in the tour. Visitors get a chance to receive Halo 3-themed merchandise, and a chance to meet members of Linkin Park.
  

Keep your eyes peeled when these events and merchandise hit the streets.