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Halo 'No Longer Just a Game' For Microsoft

News.com has a piece looking at the way that Halo has transformed from game to franchise for Microsoft and the Xbox. Despite the heavy advertising and branded products that seem to be everywhere in anticipation of next week's launch, the company is still trying to keep the IP as pure as possible. "Microsoft is wary of watering down Halo, meaning it would rather walk away from deals for Master Chief pajamas or Covenant sippy cups. Microsoft had little experience in talking to toymakers and others about how to transfer an onscreen experience to real objects. But such experts exist in the licensing arms of movie studios, so Microsoft partnered with 20th Century Fox to act as the main licensing agent for the Halo brand. Items that did not make the cut were a Halo-themed lottery ticket, lingerie modeled after a female hologram character, and toy guns based on the game's weapons. Instead, fans can expect high-quality action figures from McFarlane Toys, a tabletop game from WizKids, and replica weapons for mature buyers."

4 of 115 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Crap by Tofystedeth · · Score: 5, Funny

    I would have _loved_ my wife in a Cortana teddy. Fix'd
    --
    "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Drink deeply or not at all."
  2. Re:Why don't we have licensed bedsheets anymore? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Licensed bedsheets? The game is rated MA. Nothing says virgin quite like a 21 year old with Cortana plastered across your bed.

  3. Re:Items that did not make the cut were... lingeri by PJ1216 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Madness?! This is Sparta!

  4. Re:"MasterChief"? by paganizer · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It never confused me at all; I'm ex-Navy and it made perfect sense to make the main hero a Master Chief.
    They are godlike characters, answerable to no one; they can not be busted in rank in any normal fashion, Officers fear them, enlisted both fear them and are protected by them.

    --
    Why, yes, I AM a Pagan Libertarian.