In recent months, Microsoft’s flagship franchise has given Halo fans plenty of reasons to be excited about the iconic Xbox game. November and December saw the release of the long-awaited Halo Infinite, the sixth installment in the main series that celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, and the long-awaited Halo TV series aired its first episode last week. Now, as part of the celebration surrounding the debut of the live-action series, Microsoft and Paramount+ have partnered with various social media platforms to help fans celebrate the launch.
The launch of the live-action series of Halo It’s been a long time coming for the franchise, as the ambitious project was first announced in 2013 with big names like Steven Spielberg on board. Development of the series would be tumultuous as the series would change hands multiple times with several different TV networks looking to develop the show before Halo finally landed with Paramount+ last year. Now, as passionate Master Chief fans finally get a chance to see the iconic Spartan in live action, Halo has teamed up with Facebook Messenger and Instagram to debut a special filter for the occasion.
Facebook and Instagram officially introduced the AR filter last week, with users in group chats being able to select a special “Halo Silver Team” filter that puts each party member in the iconic Spartan uniforms. The filter assigns the Spartan suits worn by the Master Chief’s Silver Team with up to four different looks available and also allows users to change their backgrounds to some of the iconic pieces from the series. The filter also allows users to create various special effects by performing different actions such as raising the eyebrows and opening the mouth.
Although Microsoft has heavily promoted the premiere of the television series of Halo In recent weeks, the series hasn’t escaped scrutiny from some of the franchise’s most die-hard fans. Many longtime Halo fans criticized the redesign of Cortana, a central character throughout the franchise, while others have criticized that previous trailers seemed far removed from what longtime fans would expect from a Halo adaptation. .
The year 2021 not only marked the 20th anniversary of Halo as a franchise, but also coincided with the 20th anniversary of the platform that spawned the series, the original Xbox. Last year, Microsoft celebrated its already iconic gaming brand not only with new titles like Halo Infinite, but also with a slew of homages to Xbox history. As one of the launch titles for the original Xbox, Halo has become synonymous with the Xbox brand over its 20 years, and the popularity of both Halo Infinite and the Halo television series should ensure that the franchise continues. prospering in the future.