Halo Legends Getting Anime Treatment

Microsoft is overseeing seven short anime films based on the Halo universe, according to a report in the LA Times.

The project is being taken care of by 343 Industries, the once rumoured but now confirmed new Halo division at Microsoft. Shinji Aramaki, director of Appleseed, is helping out as creative director, with anime studios Bones, Casio Entertainment, Production I.G., Studio4 C, and Toei Animation producing the individual films.

While Microsoft is handling the shorts without licensing the project out to a Hollywood studio, it hasn't quite been able to escape involving a traditional movie company. The films will be previewed on Xbox Live in Autumn, but will be released on DVD and Blu-ray via Warner Bros. in early 2010.

The shorts are being unveiled at Comic-Con in San Diego later today.

Aramaki will direct a film about the history of the Spartans, while Studio4 C is producing a two-parter that tells the entire history of the Halo universe over 30 minutes and Toei is telling a non-canonical story that pokes fun at different characters.

Frank O'Connor, who is named as 343 Industries' creative director in the report, said that while the production of the shorts has been outsourced, his company has remained very hands-on. "Depending on the studio we did everything from writing the stories to feeding them with characters and scenarios they could explore", he said. He noted, however, that the studios have largely had free reign visually.

"I think the core Halo fans will recognize key moments from the universe never shown in the game", O'Connor went on. "They're moments where people wanted more depth. That's where this fits."

Elsewhere in the Halo universe, the latest comics spin off - Helljumper - is out in UK comic shops today.

^{Source: LA Times}