Xbox execs are "certainly exploring" more TV shows beyond Halo
Kiki Wolfkill speaks to us exclusively ahead of Halo season 2.
With Halo season 2 launching this week, we had the chance to jump on a video call with some of the key players behind the live-action TV adaptation of the iconic Xbox gaming franchise.
Game developer and Halo TV show producer Kiki Wolfkill – whose current job title is Head of IP Expansion and Entertainment at Xbox – gave us some insight into the company's current thinking around further TV or movie adaptations, beyond the success it's seen with Halo on Paramount Plus.
Specifically, we asked if there are other Xbox brands being adapted at the moment, and whether any of the recent acquisitions from Microsoft's purchase of Activision could be on that list. We specifically name-dropped Diablo, Overwatch and Call of Duty, but Wolfkill chose to answer the question in a more general way.
She didn't opt to drop any names of her own, but her answer was still enlightening! You can see for yourself in the video at the top of this page, or keep reading for the text version of her response.
On the topic of whether more Xbox adaptations will follow in Halo's footsteps, Wolfkill said: "Yeah, I mean, I think there's an appetite for it. But more importantly, we do have these incredible worlds and characters that are so, so ripe for exploration in different ways, whether it's a direct – exactly as you experienced it in the game – adaptation, or something that explores more of a universe."
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Wolfkill continued: "There's so much creative opportunity there and I think one of the things that we really understand is that gaming is an ecosystem, right?
"It's not just about the game and we really think about games from a franchise perspective and we really do want to be able to tell stories in lots of different ways and across mediums, because, you know, it's a way of introducing our IPs to a different audience and giving our fans more depth or more breadth, or a different kind of story.
"So I think, without a doubt, we're certainly exploring across other Xbox IPs, but at the end of the day, it comes down to what's right for the franchise and what's right for the audience. And we'll always start from that position and go from there. But the good news is, yeah, there's a lot of interest in video game worlds right now and I love that."
Of course, corporate over the last few years have ensured that Xbox has a deep well of franchises to draw from in all sorts of ways. Xbox's acquisition of Bethesda means the company must have some sort of hand in the buzzy Fallout TV show, and the company's ownership of Mojang surely means that the mysterious Minecraft movie is a Microsoft joint on some level.
For more from our Halo season 2 coverage, read our exclusive chat with Masterchief star Pablo Schreiber, and don't forget to check out our Halo season 2 review as well.
Halo season 2 will begin on Paramount Plus on Thursday 8th February.
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