Halo: Chronicles

Halo: Chronicles, officially confirmed in 2008, was an "episodic interactive storytelling" project in development for the Xbox 360 until its ultimate cancellation in 2009.

The game was to be developed by WingNut Interactive, a video game development studio, formed in 2006, from a partnership between Microsoft Game Studios and director Peter Jackson.

Announcement and development

 * On September 27, 2006, Halo: Chronicles was announced alongside Halo Wars at Microsoft's X06 trade show in Barcelona, Spain.


 * On March 7, 2007, Microsoft executive Shane Kim revealed that "two episodic series... the first [of which] is in the Halo universe" were still in early design phases.


 * On May 14, 2008, Kim states that Microsoft were in talks with Jackson about how "[they] can use Live as a medium to introduce episodic interactive storytelling".


 * On August 1, 2008, it was reported that Microsoft were still hiring for Chronicles, specifically for the creative director role, adding that candidates will be required to "bridge the gap between storytelling and the interactive experience while delivering on the Halo soul."

Cancellation

 * On July 24, 2009, the project was announced as cancelled, although Microsoft was "still looking into it" without the involvement of Jackson. Jackson later stated the project "...sort of collapsed when the movie didn't end up happening."


 * On July 28, 2009, Microsoft stated "we’ve decided to put this joint effort on hold and prioritize resources against other projects like Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach and Halo Legends."


 * As of 2014, WingNut Interactive has not published or produced any titles.

Trivia

 * The game was stated to "focus on the intimate, personal aspect of war..."


 * While Chronicles was in development, a select team of Bungie employees - namely Joseph Staten and design director Mike Woo - was working in New Zealand with Jackson. When Chronicles was later cancelled, the team returned to Bungie to work on Halo 3: ODST instead.