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In celebration of the launch of Halo Wars 2, Xbox and 343 Industries have partnered with three famed artists for a limited edition poster series. Each artist uses their unique style to capture the memorable characters of Halo Wars 2.
Grzegorz “Gabz” Domaradzki, Craig Drake and Kevin Tong each take on two opposing characters, portraying the conflict between the crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire and the new enemy faction, the Banished.
“We’re really excited to be working with such talented artists in bringing the characters of Halo Wars 2 to life,” stated 343 Industries Studio Head of Strategy Games Dan Ayoub. “Storytelling is particularly important in real-time strategy and Halo games, and these beautiful posters provide a glimpse of what’s to come on Feb. 21.”
Polish illustrator and famed cinematic artist Grzegorz “Gabz” Domaradzki captures Professor Anders’ innate quest for knowledge and her dangerous fight against the ruthless commanding Shipmaster in his pieces for Halo Wars 2.
“First and foremost it was an exciting opportunity for me to work on such a huge franchise, loved by millions,” stated Grzegorz “Gabz” Domaradzki.
“As far as the concept goes we wanted one print to represent the Spartans or the good guys if you will, while the other to focus entirely on the Brutes – bad guys. We both knew from the start that these two posters should work either separately and as a diptych and it was probably the toughest task composition-wise. I hope the fans of the game will enjoy these screen prints and that the final result captures the game’s spirit well.”
U.S. based artist Kevin Tong has built a name for himself over the past decade through his intricate portrayal of mainstream entertainment. His latest pieces show the struggle between Atriox, the leader of the Banished, and Captain Cutter who holds the fate of humanity in his hands:
“ These Halo Wars 2 posters were incredibly challenging, but extremely fun to work on. The world in the game is so vast and intricate, a visual playground of imagery and I did my best to run with it and create something with fans of the game in mind.
I wanted to show off different aspects of the game through different illustration styles for each poster.
The Atriox poster is meant to show an oppressive and lived in world. I spent the most time of texturing everything heavily and using bright colors sparingly to match the mood and palette of the Banished.”
“The Cutter poster is meant to show the technical and tactical superiority of the UNSC forces led by Captain James Cutter. His world consists of brightly lit, clean line, tactical holograms, but I also wanted to show his determination and dedication to the troops on the ground.”
Craig Drake brings his modern pop-culture flare to Halo Wars 2 as he captures the mystique of artificial intelligence Isabel, who is helping the UNSC seek revenge on Decimus and the rest of the Banished who killed her former crew.
“I’m elated to contribute my visions to the Halo Wars 2 universe. It was an honor to depict Decimus’ crushing brute power as well as Isabel’s intelligence and beauty.”
Keep an eye on the Xbox and Halo Twitter channels over the next few weeks leading up to the launch of Halo Wars 2 on Feb. 21 to see if the Halo Wars 2 original art is popping up in your city and to learn how to snag a limited-edition print or full set of all six posters in the series!
