Like an unexpected twist in one of the original programs it had hoped to produce, Microsoft’s recently shuttered Xbox Entertainment Studios may come back from the dead. That’s according to an August 14 story in the Hollywood Reporter, which says Warner Bros. may be in the frame to revive Microsoft’s attempt to create video content for its gaming console.
Citing unnamed sources, the newspaper says that XES is in preliminary talks with Warner Bro. Under the purported deal, the movie studio would merge XES with Machinima. Warner Bros already owns part of that gaming and streaming website, and Machinima has already worked with Xbox in distributing the live-action digital series Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn.
Neither Warner Brother or Microsoft would confirm or deny the rumor, but it would make sense. Even after being axed as part of the 18,000 jobb cuts at Microsoft ordered by CEO Satya Nadella, XES still has some valuable properties under production. They include the Steven Spielberg-produced Halo TV series, a Signal to Noise documentary about unearthing the buried Atari E.T. video game, and the Halo: Nightfall TV series.