Microsoft reveals Halo anime film series

Microsoft is working on a series of seven short anime films set in the Halo universe, entitled Halo Legends.

The LA Times reports the films will be produced by Japanese studios Bones, Casio Entertainment, Production I.G, Studio4 C and Toei Animation. Shinji Aramaki, director of Appleseed and Appleseed Ex Machina, has been appointed as creative director on the project and will direct one of the shorts, which will focus on the history of the Spartans, himself.

"I liked that this would be an anthology of human stories told from different characters' perspectives," he said.

Microsoft will allow the studios creative freedom when it comes to the visual style of the films but 343 Industries, the company's Halo division, will approve storylines and help out with the details. "Depending on the studio we did everything from writing the stories to feeding them with characters and scenarios they could explore," said Frank O'Connor, creative director at 343.

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

The Halo Legends films will launch on Xbox Live this autumn. Microsoft will then team up with Warner Bros for a release on DVD, Blu-ray and "other digital platforms" in early 2010.