Microsoft says to expect more Xbox games with TV and movie crossovers

Movie studios often turn to video games for inspiration, making films based on popular gaming titles. From Super Mario Bros. to Resident Evil and even Angry Birds, there have been plenty of dramatic adaptations of games over the years on the big and small screens, and Microsoft thinks that we'll be seeing more of this in years to come.

The head of Microsoft's Xbox division, Phil Spencer, said it was likely that we'll see more games not merely getting TV and movie adaptations, but also crossovers, like the upcoming Quantum Break. Conceived as a third-party action game exclusively for the Xbox One, its creators also made a complementary live-action series that is deeply integrated into the game itself.

As the game's developers, Remedy, explained, "how you play the game impacts the show, and the show informs how you play the game". Seen for the first time this week at Gamescom, the series features some big names from the entertainment world, including Shawn Ashmore (X-Men; Frozen), Dominic Monaghan (Lost; The Lord of the Rings) and Aiden Gillen (Game of Thrones; Queer as Folk) - and according to Phil Spencer, we're likely to see more of this kind of game-video hybrid production.

Speaking with BBC Newsbeat, he said that "there are certain franchises that we have that lend themselves to video, TV and even potentially movies... so I do think you'll see more."

Spencer didn't give any hints about which Xbox gaming properties might easily lend themselves to such crossovers - but Quantum Break won't be the first example of an Xbox title getting a live-action tie-in.

Microsoft has produced two shows so far based on its hugely popular Halo games: the Forward Unto Dawn web series was later followed by Nightfall, which sets up certain story elements for the next game in the franchise, Halo 5: Guardians, which will be released on October 27. A Halo-based TV series, with Steven Spielberg as executive producer, is also expected to premiere on US cable network Showtime later this year.

But while Microsoft is hoping its partners will step up to create new gaming experiences with more compelling and well-made video content, it's unlikely to be doing much more of that itself. The company shut down its Xbox Entertainment Studios division last year, ending most of its plans for original TV and movie productions.

Source: BBC Newsbeat