Microsoft seeks winner with 'Halo 2'

No_Style · Nov 8, 2004, 03:21 PM

By midnight tonight, as many as a hundred fans--mostly men in their late teens and 20s--will line up near Union Square in New York, eagerly awaiting their first glimpse of the sequel to a science-fiction blockbuster.

The line won't be in front of a movie theater but rather at the EB Games outlet on East 14th Street. Those who show up there--and at more than 6,500 other stores playing host to midnight events across the country--will be able to buy copies of "Halo 2," a video game for the Xbox system published by Microsoft Game Studios.

The anticipated release of "Halo 2," the sequel to Microsoft's best-selling 2000 game, is the latest and perhaps the best indication of how the blockbuster mentality of Hollywood has pervaded the video game industry. As development budgets for the most advanced games approach $20 million, the stakes for producers have risen accordingly. According to Microsoft, the marketing budget for "Halo 2" is "tens of millions of dollars," perhaps more than the cost of developing the game itself (which the company will not divulge).
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Read More/Source: C|Net Tech News

Nov 8, 2004, 03:21 PM	#1
No_Style Styleless Wonder Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Ottawa, Ontario Posts: 6,034 Rep Power: 0	Microsoft seeks winner with 'Halo 2' By midnight tonight, as many as a hundred fans--mostly men in their late teens and 20s--will line up near Union Square in New York, eagerly awaiting their first glimpse of the sequel to a science-fiction blockbuster. The line won't be in front of a movie theater but rather at the EB Games outlet on East 14th Street. Those who show up there--and at more than 6,500 other stores playing host to midnight events across the country--will be able to buy copies of "Halo 2," a video game for the Xbox system published by Microsoft Game Studios. The anticipated release of "Halo 2," the sequel to Microsoft's best-selling 2000 game, is the latest and perhaps the best indication of how the blockbuster mentality of Hollywood has pervaded the video game industry. As development budgets for the most advanced games approach $20 million, the stakes for producers have risen accordingly. According to Microsoft, the marketing budget for "Halo 2" is "tens of millions of dollars," perhaps more than the cost of developing the game itself (which the company will not divulge). _______________ Read More/Source: C\|Net Tech News __________________ "The Best Style Is No Style" Specifications Here