Microsoft Is Committed To More Xbox TV Shows And Movies

Draugoth

Gold Member
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Speaking to Variety, Spencer said not every project will work out, but it's all part of the learning process.

"We learned from doing Halo. We learned from doing Fallout. So all of these build on themselves,"

he said.

"And obviously we'll have a couple that miss. But what I'd say to the Xbox community that likes this work is, 'You're going to see more, because we're gaining confidence and we're learning through this.'"

Years ago, Microsoft created an entire division focused on TV shows and movies called Xbox Entertainment Studios, but closed it down in 2014.

Source
 

StereoVsn

Gold Member
I mean with Halo show being so amazing, why wouldn’t they? 🤣

Couple of thoughts:

1. Gears of Friends - a show about 5 friends and a Locust living in a NYC apartment, navigating challenges of mild-20s lifestyle.
2. Gears about Nothing - Marcus, Damon and Cole navigate life in a big city, having to deal with Locusts on a side.
3. Gear Your Enthusiasm featuring Larry David.

Edit: How could I forget “Forza and the Furious”! A show featuring a strong bald protagonist racing randomly while experiencing performance issues with his vehicle!
 
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Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
I mean I think it's peculiar for him to say they learned by doing Fallout... They didn't do Fallout. The project was well under way before Microsoft acquired Zenimax and Bethesda.

Outside of Bethesda's involvement the show wasn't at all produced by Microsoft. So I'm not really sure what centralized lesson Microsoft would have learned from this.

Like the article says, Microsoft shuttered Xbox Entertainment, which is whatever company you'd want to have "learned" from this.

Microsoft learning from Fallout is no different here than Microsoft learning from The Last of Us or Cyberpunk Edgerunners or The Witcher (as much as you could learn anything from The Witcher).

Sony is easily the standard here. They created PlayStation Productions and already had major ties to Sony Pictures. More to the point, I don't think Microsoft has put together the efforts needed to have sustained success in the space, nor do I think they have the IP. Next would have to be Gears of War, but I don't think that would be successful. So much of Microsoft's IP success is baked in the 360 dudebro era. Not sure how well that translates to modern TV and Movies.
 

T4keD0wN

Member
A minecraft movie, lmao. Ill watch that thing for laugh and i watch like 2 movies a year tops, so i guess that counts, but seriously what kind of drugs one has to take to comes up with this?

What else with potential is there besides Fable and Gears?
 
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Gojiira

Member
Well it would take significant effort to be worse than Halo. Fallout though, my god that show gets way too much praise, it was shit…just shit, nothing like Fallout at all, just more of Bethesdas ‘le wacky wasteeeeeelandz’ nonsense.
Gears could work as a Band of Brothers type series but expecting that level of quality is beyond MS so meh
 
I mean with Halo show being so amazing, why wouldn’t they? 🤣

Couple of thoughts:

1. Gears of Friends - a show about 5 friends and a Locust living in a NYC apartment, navigating challenges of mild-20s lifestyle.
2. Gears about Nothing - Marcus, Damon and Cole navigate life in a big city, having to deal with Locusts on a side.
3. Gear Your Enthusiasm featuring Larry David.

Edit: How could I forget “Forza and the Furious”! A show featuring a strong bald protagonist racing randomly while experiencing performance issues with his vehicle!

You forgot Gears in the City
 

nial

Member
but seriously what kind of drugs one has to take to comes up with this?
It's Minecraft (best-selling game of all time), why wouldn't you?
The problem is that the movie itself looks like absolute shit. I mean, I think Minecraft itself has a pretty boring look, but even a CGI film would have been a much better outcome than that.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
MS what the fuck is happening to you

??

Playstation has a whole studio dedicated to making movies and TV shows of their IP as well. MS is not tasking Obsidian to make movies lol, this will be studios like Paramount, Amazon etc making things.

Why is the IQ level on GAF dropping so sharply these days ..
 
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BbMajor7th

Member
Why does Spencer talk about XBOX projects as though they're a hobby he's just taken up? They're multi-million dollar initiatives from one of the world's most well-financed companies. "You live and learn' is the rationalisation for a home improvement project you underestimated.
 
??

Playstation has a whole studio dedicated to making movies and TV shows of their IP as well. MS is not tasking Obsidian to make movies lol, this will be studios like Paramount, Amazon etc making things.

What is with this weird meta commentary?
I'm primarily an Xbox user. I see this stupid focus on the movie business a case of 'Cleaning your yard but neglecting your home'. Xbox division are left and right making bad decisions with their IPs and studio management, and here are Microsoft wanting to make movies.

The barbarians are at the gate but they're too busy performing in the circus :/
 
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adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
More Ella Purnell in future projects.

Bug eyed queen is bae.




61a517c862ce216b7b771b14cddfc20e0f32f3e2c09fdacf6ac43710a26587f5_1.jpg
 
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Fbh

Gold Member
Do you think there's anything contractual preventing Tom Holland from being both Nathan Drake and Master Chief?
They can even make Zendaya play Cortana.


Seriously though, give me an animated Halo show with Arcane tier production values and I'll be happy. It's going to cost you a fraction of a live action show while looking 10 times better.
 

Katajx

Member
They have a culture and a talent problem. I’m not sure that’s. The move. They would really have to find a good partner if they wanted to try to make it grow through multimedia projects.
 

coffinbirth

Member
A CG Banjo-Kazooie movie would be amazing.
A Call of Duty movie seems all but inevitable and a Black Ops Zombies movie would be legit insane.
A Fable series?
How about a Verhoeven-esque super violent Crackdown movie?

I don't know, I don't watch jack shit anymore, too busy playing games.
 

VAVA Mk2

Member
For the love of God stop letting Kiki Wolfkill touch your IPs. She sucks. She is one of the main 3 (including Frank O'Connor and Bonnie Ross) that killed the Halo brand. Stop letting idiots make their own drastic, creative changes to your top IPs, Microsoft.
 

m14

Member
I mean I think it's peculiar for him to say they learned by doing Fallout... They didn't do Fallout. The project was well under way before Microsoft acquired Zenimax and Bethesda.

Outside of Bethesda's involvement the show wasn't at all produced by Microsoft. So I'm not really sure what centralized lesson Microsoft would have learned from this.

Like the article says, Microsoft shuttered Xbox Entertainment, which is whatever company you'd want to have "learned" from this.

Microsoft learning from Fallout is no different here than Microsoft learning from The Last of Us or Cyberpunk Edgerunners or The Witcher (as much as you could learn anything from The Witcher).

Sony is easily the standard here. They created PlayStation Productions and already had major ties to Sony Pictures. More to the point, I don't think Microsoft has put together the efforts needed to have sustained success in the space, nor do I think they have the IP. Next would have to be Gears of War, but I don't think that would be successful. So much of Microsoft's IP success is baked in the 360 dudebro era. Not sure how well that translates to modern TV and Movies.
Yes, nothing like being tied to the company that recently blessed the world with Morbius, Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter.

Why do so many of Sony's comic book and action movies look like they were filmed in 2004? :pie_thinking:
 

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
Yes, nothing like being tied to the company that recently blessed the world with Morbius, Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter.

Why do so many of Sony's comic book and action movies look like they were filmed in 2004? :pie_thinking:

3 movies with a combined max budget of 313 million dollars? Compared to Spider-Man No Way Home which had a budget of 200 million dollars by itself?

Clearly, you don't realize Sony Pictures was just trying to get rich quick by throwing Spider-Man adjacent movies at the wall and seeing what stuck. Similar to Venom, but even more low budget. These movies also do pretty well on streaming, which is the primary reason why they're made, to fulfill streaming contracts, but yes... go on thinking that these movies somehow define Sony Pictures let alone PlayStation Productions.
 

m14

Member
3 movies with a combined max budget of 313 million dollars? Compared to Spider-Man No Way Home which had a budget of 200 million dollars by itself?

Clearly, you don't realize Sony Pictures was just trying to get rich quick by throwing Spider-Man adjacent movies at the wall and seeing what stuck. Similar to Venom, but even more low budget. These movies also do pretty well on streaming, which is the primary reason why they're made, to fulfill streaming contracts, but yes... go on thinking that these movies somehow define Sony Pictures let alone PlayStation Productions.
Yes, because making a few quick dollars at the expense of the company's reputation is always a wise move.
While Sony's comic book movies are perhaps the nadir of their overall output, it's not like the rest of their releases are prestigious, high quality motion pictures either:


What exactly does define Sony Pictures then?
 

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
Yes, because making a few quick dollars at the expense of the company's reputation is always a wise move.
While Sony's comic book movies are perhaps the nadir of their overall output, it's not like the rest of their releases are prestigious, high quality motion pictures either:


What exactly does define Sony Pictures then?

Sony Pictures is the parent company of Columbia...

These Spider-Man adjacent movies have no impact on Sony's reputation or the revenue that Spider-Man movies bring in.

Sony has deals with Netflix and Disney to the tune of 600 million dollars per year. If they keep their expenses at, around, or below 600 million dollars, they know they'll be profitable every year no matter what. Streaming revenue is guaranteed and digital and box office are just a plus.

Venom had a budget of 110-120 million. With the general rule of thumb (2.5x) that means that the movie would need to make 300 million to break even. It made 478.9 million at the box office. That's at least 178.9 million dollars in profit on top of what they make from their streaming deal with Netflix.
Cutting expenses while ensuring they deliver movies to Netflix and Disney ensures their operating income increases.


3 billion dollar 5 year deal


You can criticize their model all you want, but one it works, and two it has nothing to do with PlayStation Productions, with the caveat that PlayStation Productions can be allocated to as part of that 600 million dollar annual budget.

The relationship between PlayStation Productions and Sony Pictures is a somewhat unique one though similar to Marvel Entertainment and Disney.

Sony Pictures wants IP to make movies to feed the box office and streaming. They would normally use the profits to buy/license more IP, but with PlayStation Productions, they can get a steady stream of existing IP to make movies out of. Even if these movies/tv shows aren't massive successes they still

A) fulfill the streaming agreements
B) act as massive commercials for games potentially turning games that aren't successes into success which we'll see with Until Dawn

Sony is in a win-win situation with their pipeline of IP to TV/Movies. That pipeline will allow them to take bigger swings in gaming if there is pay off.

Microsoft doesn't have that situation. They can decide to fund, produce, and distribute their own stuff, but they're not about to do that. It's entirely too risky and costly. Sony has guaranteed money backing all their projects whether they succeed or fail.

Until Dawn could be a hit horror franchise and return 100s of millions of dollars per entry and spawn a multitude of new games or it could fall flat on its face. It doesn't matter at the end of the day. The remake wouldn't have cost Sony much money and the movie won't either.

Sony also knows that they still have big money coming down the pipeline with Spider-Man 4, Jumanji 3, and Beyond the Spider-Verse.

Of all the movie studios, Sony probably has the least risk because they're not directly involved in streaming, for which all these studios are bleeding money.
 
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