Have you ever been captivated by Halo’s deep narrative, but wished you could enjoy the trials of Master Chief and Cortana without all that pesky game play? Have you ever wanted to know what happens to Dom’s wife without having to curb-stomp hordes of Locust? How about learning the fate of Albion without farting on its citizens? Well you are in luck, Variety reports that Microsoft has some robust plans to turn some of their biggest franchises on the Xbox platform into premium shows. Games slated to mutate into series include Gears of Wars, Ages of Empires, and Forza. Six series have already been been greenlit, with 11 more in development.
Variety indicates that Microsoft’s initial plan is to launch its own content streaming app via Xbox Live that viewers will use to access the shows. The service’s first show: “Every Street United,” is set to launch in June.
But not everything may be destined for Microsoft’s app. Perhaps the most exciting news to come out of this was the follow up announcement, also by Variety, that Xbox Studios and Showtime are close to finalizing a deal that would see a Halo series being developed in conjunction with Showtime complete with Steven Spielberg attached as executive producer. This seems like a good fit. While the Halo games are not known for their plot, the series does have a strong universe in which to set stories, as well as a cast of recognizable characters. Showtime has a great pedigree, with some of the most exciting shows on television today, including House of Lies and Shameless, so there is no doubt that it is a network that is capable of making a quality product. However, this is still uncharted terrain for them, as Showtime does not have any experience with Science Fiction shows.
This is an interesting experiment for both companies, and there are many questions that it brings up. The first will be if Halo airs on Showtime and if it will be offered on Xbox Live at the same time, or if there will be an app to connect Xbox Live to Showtime. The fact that Showtime is involved means the series will most certainly be shown on cable but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for an online media application as well. This strategy is bold, but also dangerous. Producing these shows is sure to cost a lot of money and that’s to say nothing about how hard it is to attract viewers with online media. Microsoft is not the only company to potentially enter this space. Players such as Amazon, Yahoo, and others are also looking to compete in the online space, following the lead of Netflix, which already has the first mover advantage.
