Prime Video’s video game anthology series Secret Level debuted in December, featuring episodes inspired by all manner of video game franchises, but not Halo or Doom. It appears this wasn’t for lack of trying, however. Supervising director Dave Wilson and creator Tim Miller recently discussed how they tried to work out a deal with Microsoft for Master Chief and the Doom Slayer, but it didn’t work out.
Wilson told Collider that because Secret Level was a brand-new idea, some of the development executives struggled to get on board because they had existing deals with other companies. He said what he heard from these executives was, “This is going to get in the way of everything we’re doing.”
Miller, meanwhile, pushed back against the idea that his team didn’t try to get a franchise like Halo. They did, but Microsoft apparently decided to pass, though it’s unclear why.
“I get a little chafed when I read online, and they’re like, ‘Hold on, these assholes took Spelunky when they could have taken Halo?’ Or something like that. I’m like, ‘Man, you think that we didn’t talk to Halo or something?,'” he said.
Wilson went on to say that the team wanted to make a Master Chief/Doom Slayer crossover episode and spent “a whole weekend” writing a letter to Microsoft. However, “They were like, ‘Nah,” Wilson said.
Wilson said the creative director at id Software is a good friend, while Wilson and Miller are both friends with people at Microsoft. So they made what Wilson called a “big plea,” but it never materialized.
Microsoft does have an existing deal with Netflix for Gears of War adaptations, but the Halo TV series at Paramount has ended. There are no publicly revealed Doom adaptations, but a report said Peacock was pursuing a deal for a Doom live-action series. GameSpot has contacted Microsoft in an attempt to get more details on this situation.
While Master Chief and Doom Slayer didn’t appear in Secret Level, there was an episode based on The Outer Worlds, which is developed by Microsoft subsidiary Obsidian. Some of the Sony/PlayStation franchises that appeared in Secret Level included Concord, Journey, Little Big Planet, and God of War. No Nintendo franchises appeared in Secret Level Season 1.
Wilson went on to discuss other attempts to convince gaming franchises to sign on for Secret Level.
“There were some IPs that we approached that were having a real big moment at that time and Hollywood had come a calling, and three years later, nothing’s happened. We were going to make an episode for them, and it was going to be awesome, but Hollywood happens,” he said, without naming these IPs.
Finally, Miller confirmed that the Secret Level team “begged” Valve for the rights to Half-Life, but of course that didn’t come together either.
Secret Level reviews were generally cool, and GameSpot’s own review said Season 1 was filled with hits and misses. Season 2 is in the works now, but it remains to be seen which video game franchises could show up or when the sophomore season may arrive.
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