Halo Wars is a real-time strategy video game for the Xbox 360. It was developed by Ensemble Studios. The game was released by Microsoft. It was released in Japan and Australia on February 26, 2009, in Europe on February 27, and in North America on March 3. It is based on the popular, award winning "Halo" series of video games, and is set in the year 2531, 21 years before the events of "". It's the first "Halo" game that is not a first person shooter.