The first season of the video game anthology series Secret Level is out now on Amazon Prime, and it looks like a second season is on the way. In an interview with Collider, the shows co-creators Tim Miller and Dave Wilson covered various topics, from getting the first season greenlit, to its numerous cameos from the likes of Keanu Reeves. One of the most interesting nuggets dropped during the conversation was which IP holders turned them down, the most notable being Microsoft dismissing a Halo/Doom crossover episode.
“The creative director at id [Software] is a good friend of ours, and so are folks at Microsoft,” Wilson explained “so we made a big plea because one of the things both Tim and I would love to do is do something that isn’t currently available in the games, like crossovers.” It is true that crossovers are still not a regular thing in the indusry, especially in the West. Microsoft and Xbox have not made any real attempts at mixing their IPs. Their counterparts, Nintendo and Sony, seem a lot more comfortable with this blending of franchises, Super Smash Bros. and Astro Bot both perfect examples of this attitude.
Despite arguably having the most toys in the sandbox, Microsoft and Xbox are the kid reluctant to mix and match. Even their 1st party IPs rarely acknowledging each other, save for some ship sets in Rare’s Sea of Thieves. It is this arguably close-minded approach that led to the shooting down of Wilson’s Halo/Doom crossover pitch.
“We wanted to make a Master Chief/Doom Slayer crossover episode, and I spent a whole weekend crafting this impassioned letter of my childhood. And it’s exactly what Tim said; they were like, ‘Nah.'” said Wilson.
It sets the mind racing with possibilities. What was Miller and Wilson’s pitch to the head honchos at Microsoft and Xbox? What sort of genre and vibe would the episode have had? Was it going to be a one-on-one drag out fight, the ultimate “Who would win”? Or a buddy-up romp where Master Chief is the “chatty one”? Sadly, we will probably never know.
With video games getting more and more adaptions to other media, and seeing growing success, it is only a matter of time before we start seeing these IPs interacting with each other. The big question is: will Microsoft and Xbox join in?
Are you a fan of mixing IPs? Would you of liked to have seen a Halo/Doom crossover episode? What are your thoughts on the first season of Secret Level?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
