Jan 31, 2017 09:30 AM EST By Jordan Pine, UniversityHerald Reporter

"Halo Wars 2" will have a special launch event livestream on Feb. 16 with live gameplay demos, developer interviews and giveaways. Moreover, Xbox head Phil Spencer said on Twitter that there is no cross-platform multiplayer in the sequel due to "longer standing engine reasons."

The new game is slated for a mass release on Feb. 21, but for those buying the Ultimate Edition can get early access on Feb. 17. A day before that, a launch event will be livestreamed on Feb. 16 where players can take a glimpse of live gameplay, watch developer interviews and even get giveaways.

If the event is like the launch event of "Gears of War 4," the livestream may be seen via various platforms like Youtube, Beam, Twitch or Facebook Live according to Windows Central. In fact, 343 industries announced yesterday through Xbox Wire that they will be hosting the event.

"Halo Wars 2" is the much-anticipated sequel to the 2009 RTS games for the Xbox 360. It is also the next title to be released as an Xbox Play Anywhere for both Windows 10 and Xbox One. However, the RTS game will not have cross-platform multiplayer support unlike "Forza Horizon 3," "Gears of War 4" and "Killer Instinct."

Xbox chief Spencer disclosed the reason when a fan asked him about the absence of the support. Spencer said that the new title has a "longer standing engine reasons" that disallow the said feature, OnMSFT has learned.

However, Spencer is a fan of the RTS genre and express interest in supporting it in the future. Hence, the Xbox One may soon have a keyboard and mouse support, but will most likely not have it before the launch of Microsoft's newest title.

Nonetheless, players who purchased the second installment in the Windows store can still play the game on the Xbox One. Through shared progress and achievements, players can continue where they left off on their Windows PC.

Incidentally, the "Halo Wars 2" officially ended yesterday the free data of the game's blitz mode. The newest game from Developers Microsoft Studios is now available for pre-orders at $59.99.

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