Microsoft is looking for one partner for a long-term deal covering adaptations of more than a dozen Xbox franchises, ScreenRant reports, citing Puck journalist Matthew Belloni. Unlike Sony’s PlayStation, which typically hands each franchise to a different studio, Microsoft wants to keep its portfolio with a single company.
The package reportedly includes Halo, World of Warcraft, The Elder Scrolls and Diablo, though the full list of franchises has not been disclosed. At least three franchises are excluded, since Microsoft has already licensed them separately. These are Fallout, adapted for TV by Amazon; Call of Duty, tied to Paramount; and Gears of War, whose film and animated series rights belong to Netflix. Separately, Xbox is developing a Sea of Thieves adaptation with producer Hisako Films, announced in June.
Netflix, Paramount and Universal are already considering the offer. The asking price has made at least one potential buyer question whether the deal is worth it. Representatives of all three studios, as well as Microsoft, declined to comment.
Xbox already has several TV and film projects at various stages. Amazon Prime Video has released two seasons of its Fallout series and is preparing a third, while Paramount is working on a Call of Duty movie set for theatrical release in 2028. A Halo TV series was cancelled after two seasons. Universal Pictures has already tested the model of bundling multiple franchises into one deal, adapting ten classic Atari games at once.
