Fans may want to know more information about the upcoming Halo on Xbox One, but Microsoft’s focus currently seems to be on Halo: The Television Series. While the announcement of the same didn’t quite pan out as well, Microsoft Game Studios corporate VP Phil Spencer talked to Total Xbox about how it’s important in terms of growing the IP and familiarizing more people with the series.
“I think there’s a story in the Halo games that’s noteworthy, and that we can introduce more people to the IP by putting the franchise, stories, and characters in more accessible mediums than a first person shooter.
“That’s a good thing for Halo, a good thing for the platform, and a good thing for the IP owners. We did this last holiday with Forward Unto Dawn, which had something like 70 million views. I think it helped us with the launch of Halo 4, but it also was just a thing people liked to watch.”
“I think it helped growing what IP is capable of and getting people to understand the stories and characters. I also think going into the launch of any game, it’s a nice tie-in; we learned that with Forward Unto Dawn where you can get people upbeat and excited about the IP and bring it as part of your overall launch momentum.
Spencer is also adamant that it’s not filler and will be handled the right way.”I definitely don’t think of it as filler; Halo, you could argue, is the most important entertainment IP that Microsoft owns. I can’t use the word filler anywhere near Halo, it just won’t work. If we’re gonna do a television series with Halo, we’re gonna do it the right way, and we’re gonna do it because we think it really matters.
“I’m a big Walking Dead fan. I’ve read the comics and graphic novels; the IP has grown and became more accessible as it hit TV, then went to videogames where it did incredibly well, and I think that strategy of growing and deepening what the franchise and IP is about is a good strategy for an IP holder.”
It’s also been rumoured that the TV pilot will be helmed by Elysium and District 9 director Neill Blomkamp. How ironic would that be? Let us know your thoughts on Halo: The TV Series in the comments.