Light Shed on ’343 Industries’, ‘Halo WayPoint’ revealed.
Microsoft’s ’343 Industries’ wasn’t created to develop future Halo games, but instead a new set of Halo comics.
“Halo Legends,” which will be debuted at a panel presentation today at Comic-Con, is being produced by 343 Industries and features creative direction from anime pioneer Shinji Aramaki, director of the critically acclaimed “Appleseed” and “Appleseed EX Machina” anime features, and Mamoru Oshii, director of the landmark “Ghost in the Shell” movies, with additional production from Joseph Chou of J-Spec Pictures. The compilation will include a series of short stories that explore different times, themes and characters from the “Halo” universe and will be distributed globally by Warner Home Video. Other studios that are part of the project include the creators behind some of the most popular and celebrated anime to come from Japan, such as “The Animatrix,” “Cowboy Bebop,” “Fullmetal Alchemist,” “Ghost in the Shell,” “Dragon Ball” and more.
“The opportunity to work with talents such as Shinji Aramaki, Mamoru Oshii and others from some of the greatest anime studios is a very rare opportunity for Microsoft,” said Frank O’Connor, “Halo” franchise development director and provider of story and creative direction for 343 Industries. “We’ve seen the world through Master Chief’s eyes, and we’ve experienced facets of the universe through a variety of literary prisms, but now we get to watch new tales unfold in really rich, visually dynamic ways. I think anime fans and ‘Halo’ fans alike are in for a real treat.”
“‘Halo’ and its characters are a very natural fit for anime,” said Aramaki, creative director for the “Halo Legends” project. “As a fan of the ‘Halo’ universe, it is an honor to work with Microsoft and my very talented peers from other studios to create this collection.”
A preview of select “Halo Legends” episodes will first debut on Xbox LIVE starting this fall through a new experience called Halo Waypoint. Launching in fall, Halo Waypoint will be a new destination for “Halo” fans on Xbox LIVE around the world. It will inform fans of the latest “Halo” news and activities, and grant access to content ranging from podcasts, trailers and screenshots, to exclusive video footage you won’t find anywhere else. It also will provide a new challenge for Halo gamers with a career system and player rankings tied to both in-game and out-of-game accomplishments related to Halo. In addition to the limited, early episode premieres, Halo Waypoint will debut several behind-the-scenes videos that chronicle the making of “Halo Legends.”
So there you have it. This doesn’t mean 343 Industries will strictly create comics, however. Microsoft has yet to officially disclose details on what they have in plan for the studio. There will undoubtedly be more information about Halo during Comic Con, hopefully some Halo: Reach details, so stay tuned.
Update: It looks like there were a few more details about 343 Industries revealed:
343 Industries is the publisher of the blockbuster “Halo” series of videogames and, as part of Microsoft Game Studios, oversees the “Halo” franchise, including novels, comics, licensed collectibles, apparel and more. 343 Industries is home to world-class developers working on future “Halo” projects, including “Halo Legends” and Halo Waypoint, as well as partnering with renowned developers such as Bungie LLC and Robot Entertainment to produce “Halo” games for Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE.
Writer for various websites, including Game-Spectrum and 360Evolved(both of which are down). Also possibly writing for the upcoming website DamnStraight.net. I have a blog which is updated on a fairly regular basis.
