Adapting video games into movies and television shows remains a hot trend. Over the past few years, we’ve seen some major hits, but there have also been some notable misfires, such as the Halo series—a project that failed to resonate with fans and was canceled after just two seasons despite significant investment. This setback, however, did not discourage Xbox from bringing more of its franchises to screen.
With the Minecraft movie on the horizon, Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft Gaming, spoke to Variety about the company’s plans. He acknowledged that some of their past productions didn’t fare well but stressed that it’s part of the learning curve and remained confident that the lessons will lead to better content moving forward.
“We’re learning and growing through this process, which is giving us more confidence,” Spencer stated.
The Halo series from Paramount fell short of expectations for a variety of reasons. Fans were particularly frustrated by the creative liberties taken, the controversial portrayal of Master Chief, and the disconnect from the original plot and timeline. Script issues, along with a handful of forgettable scenes, only fueled the discontent.
Despite this stumble, Xbox can also point to the highly praised Fallout series, which impressed viewers with its world-building, character development, and engaging narrative. Based on the beloved RPG franchise and released on Amazon Prime, the show earned several awards, and is set to return with a second season in the works.
“We learned from doing Halo. We learned from doing Fallout. All these experiences build on each other. We’ll obviously 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.'”
Xbox plans its next big moves
Although the Minecraft movie—featuring Jack Black and Jason Momoa—has sparked negative reactions, with some fans less than thrilled about the trailers and others against its mere existence, Xbox is moving forward with its plans.
The company has partnered with Netflix to bring Gears of War to the screen in both a live-action movie and an animated series. Neither project has an official release date, but both are expected to generate significant interest.