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Shazam!
07-23-2009, 09:44 AM
Microsoft Producing 'Halo Legends' Anime Series
Japanese production houses working with Microsoft on seven short films.
by Jim Reilly
July 23, 2009 - The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Microsoft is producing a Halo anime series titled Halo Legends, which will be comprised of seven short films.

The report states five production houses in Japan -- Bones, Casio Entertainment, Production I.G., Studio4 C, and Toei Animation -- are handling the physical animation, while Microsoft's creative staff is handling the approval for the visuals and storytelling.

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/100/1006554/microsoft-producing-halo-legends-anime-series-20090723011131327_1248337599.jpg

"It's a wildly varied genre, but anime creators do things with weapons and vehicle and technology nobody else does and that marries very well with Halo," said Frank O'Connor, creative director for 343 Industries.

"It's amazing to see some of the new stuff they're introducing and how neatly it maps to the visual aesthetics in the Halo universe."

Not a lot of details about the story for the films have been revealed, but there were a few teases. Shinji Aramaki, a creative director working with Microsoft on the project, is creating his own short that will detail the history of the Spartan warrior class.

Another short from Studio4 C titled "Origins" is a two-part film, each 30 minutes long, which "tells the entire 100,000 year history of the Halo universe."

"I think the core 'Halo' fans will recognize key moments from the universe never shown in the game," he said. "They're moments where people wanted more depth. That's where this fits," O'Connor added.

The films distribution is being handled by Warner Bros. and will be available on DVD, Blu-ray and through digital distribution in early 2010. Xbox Live fans can catch a preview on the anime this fall.

A trailer for Halo Legends is expected to debut at the Halo panel at Comic Con tomorrow starting at 4:30 PST.

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/100/1006554/microsoft-producing-halo-legends-anime-series-20090723011619660_1248337490.jpg

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/100/1006554p1.html

Shazam!
07-23-2009, 09:45 AM
343 Industries To Oversee All Halo Products
New internal division at Microsoft will be giving the thumbs up or down.
by Jim Reilly, IGN.com

July 23, 2009 - The announcement of the Halo Legends anime series wasn't the only interesting piece of news to come out of the LA Times report.

A new division within Microsoft called 343 Industries will be keeping a close eye on everything that has Master Chief's mug on it. Apparently Halo has gotten too big for the folks at Bungie to handle. But don't worry, the franchise is still in good hands.

343 Industries' new creative director might ring a bell to some. Remember Frank O'Connor? Yeah, he's the guy.

"If you look at how George Lucas held on to 'Star Wars,' not just to make money from action figures but to control the direction the universe went in, you can see why we think it's pretty vital," said O'Connor.

"Luckily, Microsoft has the resources to enable us to do that."

Seven new Halo anime shorts can be expected next year, but Japanese production houses are handling those. It's 343 Industries' job to offer direction and guidance.

"Depending on the studio we did everything from writing the stories to feeding them with characters and scenarios they could explore," O'Connor explained.

Hardcore Halo fans may quickly recognize the significance of the number "343" in the studio name. It seems likely its referencing 343 Guilty Spark, whom players first encountered in Halo: Combat Evolved.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/100/1006580p1.html