{"id":2577,"date":"2009-07-24T16:02:30","date_gmt":"2009-07-24T06:02:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/power-up.space\/?p=2577"},"modified":"2009-07-24T16:02:30","modified_gmt":"2009-07-24T06:02:30","slug":"halo%e2%80%9d-universe-breaks-new-ground-with-unveiling-of-%e2%80%9chalo-legends%e2%80%9d-anime-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.impulsegamer.com\/wordpress\/?p=2577","title":{"rendered":"Halo\u201d Universe breaks new ground with unveiling of \u201cHalo Legends\u201d anime project"},"content":{"rendered":"

Microsoft teams up with top anime studios to create a collection of original short films that taker the \u201cHalo\u201d franchise to a new frontier.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sydney, Australia \u2014 July 24, 2009 \u2014 <\/strong>A renowned set of storytellers from some of the world\u2019s leading anime studios in Japan are about to take one of the most iconic franchises in science fiction and video games to a new level. Microsoft Corp., in collaboration with some of the most acclaimed anime creators, today unveiled a new project called \u201cHalo Legends,\u201d which will bring the \u201cHalo\u201d franchise and its sweeping sci-fi saga to an entirely new medium, in the form of several original anime short films.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHalo Legends,\u201d which will officially debut at a panel presentation today at Comic-Con International in San Diego, is being produced by Microsoft\u2019s 343 Industries and features creative direction from anime pioneer Shinji Aramaki, director of the critically acclaimed \u201cAppleseed\u201d and \u201cAppleseed EX Machina\u201d anime features, and Mamoru Oshii, director of the landmark \u201cGhost in the Shell\u201d 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 \u201cHalo\u201d universe and will be distributed globally by Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. company. Influential 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 \u201cThe Animatrix,\u201d \u201cCowboy Bebop,\u201d \u201cFullmetal Alchemist,\u201d \u201cGhost in the Shell,\u201d \u201cDragon Ball\u201d and more.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe 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,\u201d said Frank O\u2019Connor, \u201cHalo\u201d franchise development director and provider of story and creative direction for 343 Industries. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen the world through Master Chief\u2019s eyes, and we\u2019ve 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 \u2018Halo\u2019 fans alike are in for a real treat.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Set hundreds of years in the future, the \u201cHalo\u201d series of games and novels chronicle mankind\u2019s struggles against an alien collective known as the Covenant. The Covenant is scouring the universe for relics it believes will lead it to a new life and is destroying civilisations and planets that stand in its way. The most prolific hero from the fiction is a super soldier or Spartan known as Master Chief, who is the main protagonist in the original trilogy of Xbox and Xbox 360 \u201cHalo\u201d titles. In the trilogy, Master Chief discovers that the Covenant is intent on activating a series of mysterious ring worlds known as \u201cHalos,\u201d which would ultimately exterminate life throughout the universe. He becomes mankind\u2019s champion in a race against an unrelenting enemy in its most desperate hour. Through best-selling novels, comics and additional Xbox 360 games such as \u201cHalo Wars\u201d and the upcoming \u201cHalo 3: ODST,\u201d the universe has grown and tales of other heroes have emerged.<\/p>\n

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\u201c\u2018Halo\u2019 and its characters are a very natural fit for anime,\u201d said Aramaki, creative director for the \u201cHalo Legends\u201d project. \u201cAs a fan of the \u2018Halo\u2019 universe, it is an honor to work with Microsoft and my very talented peers from other studios to create this collection.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Studios involved in the \u201cHalo Legends\u201d project include Bones Inc., Casio Entertainment Inc., Production I.G, STUDIO4?C and Toei Animation.<\/p>\n

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