“Halo 2: Anniversary” Cinematics Reimagined to Immerse Fans Into Critically Acclaimed Story and Complement Re-mastered Gameplay from Developer 343 Industries

Los Angeles, CA (November 11, 2014) -- Blur Studio worked closely with 343 Industries to revitalize and retell some of the most iconic moments from the venerable "Halo" franchise for the anniversary release of "Halo: The Master Chief Collection." “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” offers the complete story of “Halo’s” legendary hero, the Master Chief, for the first time on one console, and Blur was brought in to refresh over forty characters and almost an hour’s worth of cinematic sequences from “Halo 2: Anniversary.”

‘When we began this project, we immediately knew Blur was the ideal partner to help us make these 10-year old cinematics jaw-dropping for the modern era. We are thrilled with the work Blur has accomplished,” said Dan Ayoub, Studio Head of External Development for 343 Industries.

One of the biggest challenges from the outset was finding the best approach to creating a feature film scale production under a tight timeline. Blur developed custom, innovative tools and staffed the project with nearly 160 top-level artists to meet production demands.

For this project, Blur and 343 Industries set out to raise the bar in cinematics and to show how far the state of the art has evolved since the release of “Halo 2” ten years ago. Blur enriched the experience with highly realistic characters, stunning visual effects, deeper emotion and action and evocative storytelling. The process started with extensive concept design of close to 40 characters and almost as many environments. The project deepened the company’s longstanding, collaborative relationship with Xbox, and also tapped Blur’s unique sensibility for storytelling combined with a genuine affinity for the “Halo” franchise.

“The talent here at Blur is really special, and this project allowed us to showcase our ability to deliver longer format work, tell bigger stories--and basically create an animated feature in six months,” explained Franck Balson, who directed the project at Blur. “It was also an incredible honor to have the trust of Xbox--and not only reimagine existing ‘Halo’ stories--but also tell new stories with the prologue and epilogue sequences that bookend ‘Halo 5: Guardians’.”

For a look at some of Blur’s cinematic work for the game, check out the “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgLj-vXmrmM

Now available for Xbox One, “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” brings the ultimate “Halo” collection together (‘Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary,” “Halo 2: Anniversary” “Halo 3” and “Halo 4”) with a unified Master Menu that features every campaign chapter unlocked, enabling fans to experience the Master Chief’s story and “Halo’s” legendary multiplayer like never before. Play “Halo” your way, with curated playlists from the campaign and more than 100 multiplayer and Spartan Ops maps from across all four “Halo” titles. For more information, visit: https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/games/halo-the-master-chief-collection/xbox-one

About Blur Studio
Blur Studio is an Oscar- and Emmy-nominated production studio based in Culver City, California. Founded in 1995, the company provides award-winning animation, effects and design for a wide range of media -- short films, large format films, commercials, concept art, feature effects, music videos, game cinematics and broadcast design. Notable clients include ABC, Disney, Marvel, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., CBS, Microsoft, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Sony, Activision, Nickelodeon, FOX Sports and EA, among others. For more information, please visit www.blur.com.