Wingnut unscrewing new 360 Halo franchise

Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson announces his film studio is launching a new Interactive division--and a game set in the Halo universe will be his first project.

Today at the X06 conference, Microsoft announced that it is developing Halo Wars for the Xbox 360. The announcement confirms months of rumors that the best-selling first-person shooter franchise would enter into the real-time strategy realm--a return of sorts, since the game was originally conceived as an RTS based on the Myth engine.

Peter Jackson talks Halo in Barcelona.

However, Halo Wars and Halo 3 aren't the only games in development to feature the far-future conflict between humanity and the multiracial religious-fanatic horde known as the Covenant. During today's X06 briefing, Microsoft announced that an entire new Halo series is in development--under the supervision of a once-obscure horror-movie director who has become a household name.

To rapturous applause in Barcelona, Peter Moore--corporate vice president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division--announced that Microsoft is partnering with Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson on an all-new "Halo series" for the Xbox 360. Details were slim, but Moore did say that the games would make for "amazing interactive entertainment experiences on Xbox 360 and Xbox Live," meaning, presumably, that the games would have an online component.

As Moore spoke, Jackson himself took the stage to illuminate the crowd about the franchise, which will apparently not consist of the average Halo game. "It's a form of entertainment that's not a game and it's not a film. It's a filmic game experience," Jackson told an enthusiastic crowd. "I think we're on a threshold of a new way to tell stories. With that in mind, we discussed a way to do it, and with that in mind, we decided that the first title should be something that will allow us to not have to devise a whole new world but to allow us to tell the story."

The new Halo games will be codeveloped by Bungie Studios and Wingnut Interactive, an all-new subdivision of Jackson's film production company, Wingnut Films. Not so coincidentally, Wingnut is currently making a big-budget big-screen adaptation of Halo, which will be directed by South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp. Jackson is executive-producing the project, which is having its special-effects work done at the director's Weta Digital postproduction house. Weta Digital is also doing effects work for Avatar, the forthcoming sci-fi epic from James Cameron (Titanic, Terminator), which is also being made into a massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

"Given the fact we are making a little movie called Halo at the moment, and we're in partnership with the nice guys at Bungie, we decided the Halo universe is the best place for us to start," said Jackson. "It's not Halo 3 or four. It's not the film. But it is based on that amazing world."

No release date was given for the unnamed Halo game, though it will presumably be released after Halo 3 hits next year. It will also be the first game in a "long-term partnership" between Microsoft Game Studios and Wingnut Interactive to create "all-new and original interactive entertainment series." The deal will also cover all-new Xbox 360 games created by Jackson and his life partner Fran Walsh and writing collaborator Philippa Boyens.

"I wouldn't even call these games in my mind, because I'm not a game designer," Jackson said. "What I'm really interested in is taking ideas that could become films, but maybe they won't be films ... They'll be steered into this technology that the Microsoft Game Studios people have developed."

229 Comments

  • RantNavv17

    Posted Jul 31, 2009 3:47 am PT

    Never knew about the secret halo game, but in a way im glad they did stop it, too many halo games can ruin it, 5 is good enough, 3 which is about story line and 2 which fills in the gaps . i don't want it to be like GTA, yer the first few was good but now they just boring.

  • ffviiifreak

    Posted Apr 15, 2009 9:11 am PT

    everything this cat touches turns gold so it should be good

  • Rhastafurion

    Posted Apr 13, 2009 2:53 pm PT

    I am so done with Halo.

  • TheSargeGuy

    Posted Dec 12, 2008 2:46 am PT

    i hate how good these people are at keeping secrets about the halo franchise its driving me insane

  • Shishio817

    Posted Sep 28, 2007 8:26 pm PT

    I wish Mr. Jackson would reveal some more about this "game".

  • Evanrocknuma

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 8:46 pm PT

    I am more excited for halo 3 but I already know the basis on how it will be played... however I am more interested on how Halo wars will turn out. The peter jackson part scares me though. He wants to make the game PLAY like a MOVIE, wait did he just combine those two words... oh god. If you guys havn't noticed he kind of screwed up the story line of king kong and goes a little overboard on digital animation which most ppl would think is good but no If you go to high above the bar it ****s up the story line and can make the game pretty much unplayable. For instance I watched my friends dad play Dreamfall which was pretty much the same concept to add a movie feel to a game... yea good and great but I was up there for like an hour and only saw cutscenes after cutscene. Too much movie for my taste. Hopefully since he is the lord of the rings film creator he will make this game play a bit more like battle for middle earth 2 but better because I am still debating whether I want to pay 50 bucks for an RTS that can get boring after a while and the camera can not zoom in far enough... but I cant really complain either because it is probably one of the best games out of its kind. Halo wars go for more of that feel but better get it than you will have a better game that doesnt have cutscenes as long as it took me to freaking write this. XD

  • games_master123

    Posted Dec 21, 2006 1:44 pm PT

    wow this should be quite gd
    seein how as microsofe studios and wingnut are sum of the biggest retailers out there

  • GeigerdolylWodd

    Posted Oct 20, 2006 8:40 pm PT

    Yeah this'll be interesting. Iwonderifitwillbe firstperson like King Kongoramixture like King Kong

  • DARK3NDGAM3R

    Posted Oct 12, 2006 7:52 pm PT

    I cant wait to see what Jackson has in store for the Halo franchise.

  • kasalisk

    Posted Oct 4, 2006 3:43 pm PT

    This is actually an idea I thought up a while back, not surprized my favorite director, the guy who got me into filmmaking myself is the first to get into this.
    Long live Peter Jackson!

  • _Sam_

    Posted Sep 30, 2006 4:21 pm PT

    I'm sure he'll do a good job

  • fkholmes

    Posted Sep 29, 2006 3:27 pm PT

    Cool!

  • Gromstar

    Posted Sep 29, 2006 9:41 am PT

    wow. want it NOW!!!

  • patmacfad

    Posted Sep 29, 2006 7:49 am PT

    That's a lot of Halo to take in this week.

  • gagan21

    Posted Sep 29, 2006 7:00 am PT

    Halo is mindblowing ,awesome ,superb,gr8, the best of the best,i love halo,its my favourite of all times

  • gforce85

    Posted Sep 29, 2006 4:44 am PT

    Sweet. Good for Pete. I'm a little dissuaded by the Microsoft-specific allegience, but Jackson is innovative and adventerous, so there's likely to be something interesting comin up.

  • God_father_87

    Posted Sep 29, 2006 3:51 am PT

    Peter Jackson will not ruin the the industry wih Bad games he is a gamer himself meaning he is one of us and he is setting it up in my Home town I wish him all the best.

    also i like King Kong alot.

  • krispydigital

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 8:44 pm PT

    ....

    reminds me of final fantasy

    movies, crisis core, dirge of cerebres, etc....


    sigh....they're milking gamers for all they're worth...

    And Halo is gettng boring.... Halo1 was good cuz it was new and crap...but halo2 was more or less the same thing... zomfg halo3? same thing with shinier armor?! they should start another franchise

  • Flakor

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 8:26 pm PT

    Its an experiment really, to see if they can really pull off this new Interactive story telling of theirs.

  • JLCrogue

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 7:36 pm PT

    The only thing I can think of when they talk about how it's not a game or film are the interactive cutscenes in Resident Evil 4.

  • cocojack

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 6:56 pm PT

    awarriorofgamin
    I wouldn't say killing the series man I belive they are unlocking yet more of the story cause ppl love halo belive it or not and they'll eat up anthing Bungie or any other studios working with bungie have in the works and I don't think the halo franchise finished cause I mean not many ppl went out and picked up a copy of the Books that were released some time ago and there probably gona revolve the story around those books or maybe not thats Bungie and any other studios that will be co-working with Bungie to decide anyway Bottomline is Halo is awsome there not gona kill it cause they wouldn't dare and they wouldn't be able to for the fans sake and because MS would lose big $$$$$$$$$$$ so i'm looking foward to a whole lot of new HALO games lol hey they might come out with a HALO turn based title lol thats a joke I can't picture Masterchief pulling off some big attack like they do in the Final Fantasy franchise.

    SoUlReApErMaN

  • ElementalFire

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 6:02 pm PT

    "awarriorofgamin
    now is where they will kill the series"

    Haha, this is exactly what I was thinking. The moment things get out of Bungie's hands...

  • X-7

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 5:30 pm PT

    I don't like that "I would'nt even call these games in my mind.." statement. What will they do? Halo with RE4 elements?

  • eternalxboxfan

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 4:54 pm PT

    The 360 just keeps getting me more and more excited. All these amazing games and new features and functionalities are what truly makes this console great, I think t will indeed beat out the PS3 and the Wii.

  • awarriorofgamin

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 4:28 pm PT

    now is where they will kill the series

  • BigEAsy527

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 4:25 pm PT

    o stop whining, solidfear, your just mad, the halo has become better then metal gear solid. the second was not horrible, its was flawed, but still enjoyable.
    There are going to make a lot of dough, thanks to more Halo projects.

  • SolidFear

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 4:01 pm PT

    More Halo crap. The first game was decent, second was horrible. Microsoft is taking advantage of you fanboys. More crap Halo stuff on the way.... Pathetic.

  • GuardianofRice

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 3:59 pm PT

    I just hope Halo doesn't become like Final Fantasy, where now there's too many to count. It's not that FF is bad or anything, but the games have more uniqueness if there are less of them. Still, I hope this project fires up to be a success.

  • Xa31nov1s

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 3:31 pm PT

    The more Halo the happier I am

  • mastermind89

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 3:23 pm PT

    wonder if its an FPS?

  • rokkuman09

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 2:34 pm PT

    They better not start just becoming mediocre...this happens to alot of series they make sooo many games so fast that they just don't focuse on quality as much as they do quanity...but I mean if these new Halo games are good heck thats awesome

  • Romanticide

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 2:19 pm PT

    yay milk halo for all it's worth...
    ¬_¬ do anything but comeup with your own ideas.

  • xbox_gamer1

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 2:11 pm PT

    Keep on bringing the new Halos Microsoft!!!!!!

  • Gunitsoldier91

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 2:05 pm PT

    halo wars looks awesome, this new project has potential too, cant wait to see where they exactly go with it

  • starcutter20000

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 12:55 pm PT

    we're all still waiting for the "Citizen Kane" of gaming the one thing that will break the interactive medium from the "mere meaningless entertainment" it has been labeled as.-----------------------------------------------------------------------
    L1qu1dSword "i got tired of waiting for starcraft 2. "

    And I got tired of waiting for Duke Nukem forever

  • Dinghy_Dog

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 12:07 pm PT

    Halo the movie... i just don't see how this is really going to happen. Granted, I love the game but overall, the game is just your typical shooter with thumb-break cinematics. With a game like Zelda, you can't sum it up in one little nitch, but with Halo, it's fight the flood and save the earth. There's going to be a lot of Hollywood thrown into this... a lot of it. And that's never a good thing, thank you director of Super Mario Bros!

  • arandaboy

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 11:11 am PT

    Peter should be working on something more up his alley, like Zelda.

  • hemakm3

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 11:02 am PT

    Can't wait.

  • gabwa007

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 10:19 am PT

    "It's a form of entertainment that's not a game and it's not a film. It's a filmic game experience," oh no, that doesn't sound good : / . Halo is good as a game.

  • L1qu1dSword

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 10:16 am PT

    looks like fun. i got tired of waiting for starcraft 2.

  • lovermanxxx

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 9:44 am PT

    they got the right people onboard but did anyone else think his speech sounded a bit like "erm, OK, you have all this money and I have a great idea how to spend it... it's, erm, so fantastic that i can't even describe it properly. erm, just give me all your money Mr Microsoft and you will have this wonderful thingy-ma-jigg and I will be on my way.... good? are you kidding it will be IMMERSIVE! and really cool.... can i have my money now... how long til its made? erm, good question, let's just say that were working on it now... ish."

  • exocel

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 9:38 am PT

    from braindead to lord of the rings jacksons allways put his all in his work so hey at least its not another tired WWII shooter or something, sounds good.

  • jcloverboy

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 9:38 am PT

    be interesting to see what they will come up with

  • Oni

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 9:28 am PT

    "It's the most groundbreaking, innovative ... something something you've ever seen. This technology is so amazing you will lose sleep. Immersive? Pfft. you don't know the meaning of that word till you see what is in store from this new game. Dude, I made LOTR x3, I know wtf I'm talking about!" - OMG, THAT RULEZ! MS does it again. That game is groundbreaking. Hope it comes out for PS3 and Wii!! Gosh, am I an idiot!

  • eggsiboss

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 9:22 am PT

    OMG! HALO WARS ! HALO IS AWESOME AND SO IS AGE OF EMPIRES, SO BRING IT ON!!! YEE HA! DOES ANYONE KNOW WHEN HALO 3 IS OUT, IS IT THAT THEY ARE GONNA BRING IT WHEN PS3 HITS EUROPE OR WHAT????

  • casinater

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 9:00 am PT

    I think Halo Wars is awesome. I hope it comes out for PC though cuz i dont have an 360.

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