More Details on Xbox Original Programming
posted Sunday Apr 13, 2014 by Nicholas DiMeo
For the past five years, Microsoft has transitioned from making the Xbox brand just about gaming and focusing it more on being the center of all your family entertainment. And with the announcement of original programming on Xbox One, Microsoft's mission was being carried on into the next generation of consoles. Because of this, Microsoft dove into some details on what we should expect to see on the One starting this summer.
Microsoft's new Xbox TV Studio will roll out a handful of shows starting in June, with another dozen being worked on in the wings. The studio, run by former CBS exec Nancy Tellem, has been working for the past 19 months to put together a compelling lineup that should have something for everyone.
Starting with the obvious one, we already know about the Steven Spielberg-directed Halo show, executive produced by Ridley Scott and David Zucker. That's been the talk of the town since E3. However, what else is in store?
Well, there's a show called Humans, which is a sci-fi thriller about humanoid robot workers. Written by British duo Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley, it takes place in a parallel present-day world where everyone has to have the latest gadget called the "Synth," a robotic butler, if you will. As you could guess, the bots become self-aware and might destroy the world. It's like they were watching our Night Cap or something. Microsoft partnered up with UK's Channel 4 to deliver us what should be a great show.
As Tellem tells us,
Humans' not only questions personal relationships, we loved how this sci-fi show toys with reality and our connection to technology. This deal with Channel 4 and Kudos underscores Xbox Entertainment Studios' commitment to programming premium TV series with global partners and creating engaging interactive experiences.
We'll also see the release of Every Street United, an unscripted show surrounding the sport of street soccer. Award-winning producers Simon and Jonathan Chinn will bring us a tech-focused documentary series. Xbox TV Studio will be bringing us live coverage of the entire Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, complete with after-performance interviews using Skype. Sarah Silverman and Michael Cera's JASH comedy group has been brought on to deliver both a comedy sketch show and a stop-motion show with Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, the team behind the popular Adult Swim show, Robot Chicken. There's also a pilot ordered for an unscripted series Fearless, where an Australian Navy bomb clearance diver Paul de Gelder suffers lost limbs from a shark attack and tries to help people around the world.
We do know that Every Street United will be offered free to Xbox One and Xbox 360 consoles, but Tellem said that the company is working on the business models for the rest of the content. The good news is that almost every show will have some sort of interactivity, either by using SmartGlass or the multitasking features on the Xbox One.
It looks like the Xbox consoles, specifically the Xbox One, are ready to take on the original content from rivals like Amazon Instant Video, Hulu and Netflix. Which shows are you excited for? Tell us in the comments section below.
