Xbox Originals is “Coming Soon” to Xbox One and Xbox 360

Written by Brandon Hofer on April 28, 2014

News: Microsoft reveals some new details about their new “Xbox Originals” program which is bringing original content to Microsoft platforms.

Microsoft has revealed that “Xbox Originals” is coming soon. No, that isn’t a service that allows you to play Xbox 360 or original Xbox games on your Xbox One. It is their service that features premium dramas, comedies, documentaries, animation, unscripted shows and live events. Available on the Xbox 360, Xbox One and other Microsoft devices, shows on “Xbox Originals” will have interactive capabilities that will be unique to each show. Names like Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott are attached to two separate scripted projects based on the Halo franchise, for example.

“We are developing premium, original content for the Xbox community which is an audience we are incredibly respectful of,” said Nancy Tellem, President of Xbox Entertainment Studios. “We believe Xbox Originals should embrace the way our fans think about traditional TV.” Tellem’s creative vision involves year-round, high-quality programs based on subjects gamers care about, with interactive features tailored to each show.

The “Xbox Originals” lineup will offer a wide array of subjects and formats with both scripted and unscripted shows. Some of the projects that are “committed” include the Halo television series, Signal to Noise/Atari: Game Over and Humans. Some of the projects that are currently in development include:

Deadlands - A a script based on the successful pen-and-paper role playing game created by Shane Lacy Hensley. “Deadlands” is a genre-bending alternative history of the Weird West, filled with undead gunfighters, card-slinging sorcerers, mad scientists, secret societies, and fearsome abominations.

Gun Machine - A hardboiled detective thriller based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Warren Ellis. Ellis will executive produce with Brett Conrad (“The Killing,” “Sons of Anarchy,” Netflix’s upcoming “Marco Polo”) who has signed on to write the pilot script about a detective tracking a serial killer who is tied to a mysterious collection of guns used in infamous New York murders.

Winterworld - A limited event live-action series based on Chuck Dixon and artist Jorge Zaffino’s seminal graphic novel series “Winterworld,” in which our world has been encased in ice from pole-to-pole. The surviving humans have formed tribes that war, enslave and trade with one another in an effort to survive the infinite winter. Ted Adams and David Ozer from IDW Entertainment, and Rick Jacobs and Dave Alpert from Circle of Confusion (“Walking Dead”) will executive produce.

“Microsoft has a long and rich legacy in the content business,” said Jordan Levin, Executive Vice President of Xbox Entertainment Studios. “Games have been part of our DNA for at least the last 15 years, and creating original TV content is a logical next step in our evolution.”

There are more projects in the pipeline with these only being a few of them. What do you think of the announced projects? What would you like to see?

source: Xbox Wire