The first announcement of Microsoft's delving into TV shows came nearly a year ago, and starting this June you'll be able to watch them. Finally. These shows, which will only be available on Xbox One, Xbox 360, and other Microsoft devices (but probably not your Zune), will be more than just the traditional sit-back-and-watch shows, as Microsoft is building interactive content into each. The first 12 committed and in-development projects were announced today.
Nancy Tellem, President of Xbox Entertainment Studios and former president of CBS Television Studios, said:
"I know full well from my years spent at traditional TV networks that creating a lineup of hit shows isn't easy. It's the beginning of a long journey, but we're incredibly excited to be on our way."
On the committed projects side of the list we find the announced-a-year-ago Halo TV series, which is being produced by none other than Steven Spielberg, plus a Halo digital feature produced by Ridley Scott and David Zucker, and directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan. "Every Street United" focuses on soccer players Thierry Henry's and Edgar Davids's search for the world's "most gifted and undiscovered street stars scouted across eight countries." On the drama side, "Humans" is set in "a parallel present" where a family bonds with a discarded robot servant. And Bonnaroo is… Bonnaroo.
Microsoft has also committed to six documentaries under the "Signal to Noise" title, including "Atari: Game Over" about the failure of the E.T. video game and the ongoing dig to recover copies of the game from a New Mexico landfill, When it comes to projects in development, Xbox Entertainment Studios is looking at a series based on Deadlands, a "hybrid stop-motion show" called "Extraordinary Believers" from the creators of Robot Chicken, a show about a former bomb tech and shark attack survivor who helps people "risk their lives to make the world a better place", a detective thriller series based on Warren Ellis's "Gun Machine" novel, a series based on the "Winderworld" series of graphic novels, and an improv comedy show from the likes of Sarah Silverman, Michael Cera, Tim and Eric, and Reggie Watts.
Microsoft is going big on original content for Xbox, but they're going up against the likes of Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. Do these shows seem interesting enough to garner a watch from you?
Source: Xbox Wire
