A leaked memo written by Microsoft's Xbox leader Phil Spencer has confirmed that the company will indeed cancel most of its earlier plans to fund and produce original TV shows, although some of them currently in production, such as the Halo live action projects, will continue to go forward.
The memo, as first posted on The Verge, has Spencer offering the specifics of their plans to slowly shut down the TV production division, which launched in the fall of 2012 in Santa Monica, California in 2012 and with former CBS network executive Nancy Tellem leading the 200 team member division:
One such plan is that, in the coming months, we expect to close Xbox Entertainment Studios. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the accomplishments from the entire team in XES. They have built an impressive slate of original programming and pioneered interactive entertainment on Xbox, such as the innovative reality series 'Every Street United' that succeeded in uniting audiences around the globe during the recent World Cup. I am pleased that Nancy, Jordan and members of the XES team remain committed to new, original programming already in production like the upcoming documentary series 'Signal to Noise' whose first installment takes on the rise and fall of gaming icon Atari and of course, the upcoming game franchise series 'Halo: Nightfall,' and the 'Halo' Television series which will continue as planned with 343 Industries.
Spencer added that the changes will not affect the many Xbox One and Xbox 360 app partnerships the company already has with a number of entertainment content providers. It seems clear that the Xbox division, under the leadership of Spencer, will concentrate nearly all of its efforts on game development and publishing.
What do you think about Microsoft putting near all of its Xbox plans in the "game" basket from now on?
Source: The Verge
