Gaming
Xbox Originals Going Head-to-Head with Netflix
Staring in June, owners of a Xbox 360, Xbox One, and other Microsoft devices will have access to Xbox Originals, an online streaming service that will consist of premium dramas, comedies, documentaries, animation, unscripted shows and live events.
“We are developing premium, original content for the Xbox community which is an audience we are incredibly respectful of,” said president of Xbox Entertainment Studios, Nancy Tellem. “We believe Xbox Originals should embrace the way our fans think about traditional TV.”
Xbox Entertainment Studios will be working with directors such as Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott who are working on two separate projects based on the Halo franchise.
Along with the Halo series and digital feature, Xbox has committed to several other projects. These projects include an unscripted reality series entitled Every Street United featuring soccer stars Thierry Henry and Edgar Davids. The reality show will focus on street soccer players from different countries with the top contestants coming together for a street game during the 2014 World Cup.
Produced by awarding winner Simon and Jonathan Chinn, the six film documentary series Signal to Noise will expose little known stories on how modern technology has radically altered the way we interact with our world today.
Co-produced by UK broadcaster Channel 4, the drama Humans, an English adaptation of Sveriges Television and Matador Film’s Swedish series, Real Humans, will be set in a parallel present where people must have a piece of technology called Synth, a robotic servant. One suburban family will purchase a refurbished synth only to discover that sharing life with a robot has a chilling consequence.
Owners of Microsoft devices will also have access to the 13th annual Bonnaroo Music and Art Festival were viewers will not only be able to watch a video feed, but will have the ability to switch stages, vantage points and participate in Skype calls with artist backstage.
While the release of Xbox Originals is fast approaching, Tellem acknowledged that the studio is in the early stages of planning, and the studio’s strategy may shift depending on viewer’s reactions. Also, limitations and subscriptions requirements are still unknown.