Microsoft (MSFT) isn't just competing with Sony (SNE) and Nintendo in the videogame space these days. Like any entertainment company (and videogaming is one of the leading forms of entertainment today), it's fighting for the limited amount of free time consumers have to spend in today's digital world -- alongside television networks, Hollywood movie studios, and digital distribution services such as Netflix (NFLX), Amazon (AMZN), and Hulu. In addition to developing exclusive videogame franchises (Halo, Gears of War and Fable), Microsoft is also financing an entire slate of original video content for its Xbox 360 and Xbox One videogame consoles, some of which are based on these exclusive game franchises.

    Last June at the E3 videogame trade show, Steven Spielberg announced that he is executive producing a new live action Halo video series with Microsoft and developer 343 Entertainment. Now Xbox Entertainment Studios president Nancy Tellem and vice president Jordan Levin are in New York City giving media buyers a first taste of original programming for this year and next.

    News has already broken around one of Microsoft's original series, the six-part documentarySignal to Noise (working title) from Academy Award winning producer Simon Chinn (Searching for Sugar Man) and Emmy winning producer Jonathan Chinn (30 Days). The first film, Atari: Game Over, from director Zak Penn (screenwriter of The Avengers), will unearth the Alamogordo, N.M., landfill where Atari buried millions of unsold E.T. videogame cartridges from the Atari 2600. Penn, who filmed the successful excavation this weekend, will also dig into the impact the Atari console crash had on the world of entertainment. Tellem said the series, which will also include films exploring the impact of MP3s and Silk Road, will debut later this year.

    Just as music has gone completely digital, millennials and younger generations are now growing up without dedicated allegiance to traditional networks. Tellem and Levin believe the Xbox platform, which has over 85 million consoles installed around the globe, has an advantage in reaching this elusive, time-shifting, and advertising-coveted audience.

    "The challenge remains the same: to produce high quality content that resonates with our audience," said Tellem. "Our audience is smart and sophisticated, and the bar is quite high. They seek to be entertained through an array of video content and games, and that makes our tasks particularly challenging. However, we are in a unique position with 48 million subscribers on our platform (Xbox Live gold and silver members) who already understand how to interact with content. Both producing premium content and offering interactivity are our differentiators."

    One of the early differentiators for Xbox Originals will be interactivity, given that gamers are used to multitasking and interacting with the images on screen. Levin said that with each new show idea, the interactive team is brought on board to brainstorm on interactive opportunities ranging from "choose your own camera angle" to utilizing the Xbox Kinect camera.

    "At CBS, we'd think about cool interactive ideas, but it was always after the fact, not an integrated experience," said Tellem. "With our Xbox technology, we can create an integrated seamless experience that is meaningful and not forced. When you look at our platform, there are so many choices with apps like Amazon, Hulu, Netflix, as well as eSports, and videogame video apps like Twitch and YouTube, and gaming."

    As companies like Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu spend billions on new original programming, Microsoft is in a position to reap those rewards through apps on the Xbox. Tellem said her division has been afforded the necessary budget to create original programming aimed at the Xbox audience.

    "At Xbox we have an amazing audience, and now we want to keep them there and engaged," said Tellem. "Every Xbox One system has a Kinect camera attached to it. There are of privacy issues and parental control things that can be built in, but if you own the console there's an opt-in opportunity to take advantage of. The technology is there and available for consumers that want to take advantage of it."

    Levin said that while there are more transmedia experiences out there in entertainment today, including acclaimed second-screen interactions like HBO's Game of Thrones and AMC's The Walking Dead, most of these require users to go to another screen.

    如今，微软（Microsoft）不仅要与索尼的任天堂游戏机在视频游戏领域竞争，还得像其他任何一家娱乐公司一样（当然视频游戏也是如今主要的娱乐方式之一），和电视网络、好莱坞电影以及奈飞（Netflix）、亚马逊（Amazon）、Hulu等其它各种娱乐方式争夺消费者有限的空闲时间。除了为自己开发了一系列专有游戏产品【如《光晕》（Halo）、《战争机器》（Gears of War ）、《神鬼寓言》（Fable）等】之外，微软还专门为其Xbox 360和Xbox One游戏机开发了一系列原创视频同容，其中一些内容正是根据这些专有游戏开发出来的。

    在去年6月的E3视频游戏交易展上，史蒂芬•斯皮尔伯格宣布他将与微软和开发者343 Entertainment公司合作，推出《光晕》的真人版剧集，他本人将亲自挂帅担任制片。Xbox娱乐工作室的总裁南茜•特勒姆和副总裁乔丹•列文现在正在纽约市，让媒体采购者们抢先体验一下微软今年和明年将推出的部分原创视频内容。

    已经有消息表示，微软的原创剧集之一、六集纪录片《噪声信号》（Signal to Noise，暂定名）将由奥斯卡获奖制片人西蒙•金【代表作《寻找小糖人》（Searching for Sugar Man）】和艾美奖获奖制片人乔纳森•琴恩【代表作《30天》（30 Days）】担任制片。而微软的第一部电影《雅达利：游戏结束》（ Atari: Game Over）将由《复仇者联盟》（The Avengers）的编剧萨克•潘执导，讲述的是挖掘新墨西州阿拉莫戈多一个垃圾填埋场的故事。雅达利游戏公司曾经在这里掩埋了数百万份没有销售出去的Atari 2600游戏机的E.T.视频游戏卡带。萨克•潘不仅拍摄了本周成功挖掘的现场，还将进入探讨雅达利游戏机的殒落对娱乐界的深入影响。特拉姆表示，这些剧集，包括一些探索MP3与丝绸之路的影响的电影，将于今年晚些时候面世。

    就像音乐已经以得完全数字化一样，所谓的80后、90后们已经不再死忠于任何传统网络。特拉姆和列文认为，Xbox平台凭借已经销售到全球各地的8500万台游戏机，在吸引这些口味千变万化、同时也是广告业最青睐的年轻受众上拥有特殊的优势。

    特拉姆说：“我们面临的挑战仍然没有变，那就是：如何产出能让受众产生共鸣的高质量的内容。我们的受众非常精明，也非常挑剔。现在可供他们娱乐的视频内容和游戏有很多，因此我们的任务特别具有挑战性。但是我们的平台上有4800万订阅用户（即Xbox Live的黄金会员和白银会员），他们已经知道如何与这些内容进行互动，因此我们在这方面具有独特的优势。制作优质内容和提供交互性都是我们走差异化道路的重要手段。”

    Xbox原创内容早期的一个重要的差异化手段就是它的交互性，因为玩家们已经习惯了同时开多个任务，并且与屏幕上的这些图像进行交互。列文表示，每当有显示方面的新点子出现的时候，交互团队都要进行一番脑力风暴，寻找提高交互性体验的机会，比如从“选择你自己的摄像头角度”到利用Xbox Kinect体感摄像头等。

    特勒姆说：“我们在哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS）的时候也想过一些很酷的交互性创意，但一般都是事后的点子，而不是一种整合式的体验。有了Xbox技术，我们就可以创造一种无缝的整合式体验。它既是有意义的，又是非强迫性的。如果你看看我们的平台，就会发现有包括亚马逊、Hulu、奈飞和eSports在内的很多选择，也有像Twith、YouTube之类的游戏视频应用以及各种游戏。”

    随着亚马逊、奈飞和Hulu等公司纷纷花费数十亿美元用来搞原创内容，微软则可以通过Xbox上的这些应用坐享其成。特拉姆表示，她的部门已经获得了必要的预算，以便为Xbox的受众开发原创编程内容。

    特拉姆指出：“Xbox有非常优质的受众，现在我们想要留住这些受众，还要让他们参与内容。每一套Xbox One系统都有一个Kinect摄像头。虽然它可能带来一些内生的隐私问题，或是家长控制的问题，但是如果你拥有一台Xbox游戏机，那么你就有了选怪性加入的机会。现在这种技术已经开发出来了，而且消费者已经可以利用这种技术。”

    "With Xbox the functionality is integrated into the experience," said Levin. "Xbox started as a game console and then started adding video. Now people are starting to think of it more as an entertainment console. While we want to take advantage of its interactivity, we're cognizant of the fact that there are a lot of bells and whistles that get created that are often a distraction. We don't want to take our eyes off what makes a good story."

    Interactivity will be on full display at the 13th annual Bonnaroo music and arts festival on June 13-15 on Xbox Live. Tellem said this festival, which will allow fans to choose to watch different entertainment stages, connect with other music fans, and even Skype with bands backstage, offers a taste of the interactive potential for live events moving forward.

    Two of the new series on Xbox will be reality programming with an international appeal. Every Street United is an unscripted street soccer series of eight, 30-minute episodes and a one-hour finale, featuring legendary soccer players Thierry Henry and Edgar Davids. Emmy-winning director Jonathan Hock (Streetball) filmed in the U.S., England, Argentina, Spain, Brazil, the Netherlands, Ghana, and South Korea. The series culminates this July in a 4v4 street game finale in the shadow of the World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. Tellem said this series, which debuts in June, is an example of the global audience Xbox is trying to connect with through its programming on Xbox Video for Xbox One, Xbox 360, Windows 8 (PC and Surface), and Windows Phone 8.

    Fearless (working title), an unscripted series currently in pilot production, features Paul de Gelder, an Australian Navy bomb clearance diver and shark attack survivor who takes on an adrenaline-fueled quest to aid individuals who risk their lives to make the world a better place. Levin said the series will take viewers into the lives of tornado chasers, U.S. Coast Guard rescuers, and bush rangers who fight against heavily armed poachers. De Gelder, who lost his arm and leg in a shark attack, will even swim with great white sharks without the protection of a cage.

    "Every mission will have a purpose and cause behind it," said Levin. "The interactive team has focused on two areas, allowing adventure and adrenaline junkies to get a more vicarious experience by controlling the series from different angles and seeing things not in the final cut; while also allowing viewers to further explore the causes in each episode by connecting with their communities."

    Levin and Tellem both admit that these shows are all experimental in the sense that the interactivity and what Xbox audiences want isn't set in stone.

    "Until they're out there, we won't know if it works or not," said Levin. "We do want to put certain things out there just to get feedback from our viewers."

    Microsoft is also partnering with global television studios on dramas. Humans is an English-language adaptation of the Swedish series, Real Humans, which will debut in 2015 on the Xbox platform and Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. The series explores what happens when a family brings home a robotic servant called a "synth."

    Xbox Entertainment Studios is also acquiring the rights to books and graphic novels. The studio is turning Gun Machine, the hardboiled detective thriller based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Warren Ellis, into a series. Ellis will executive produce with Brett Conrad (Sons of Anarchy)," who has signed on to write the pilot script about a detective tracking a serial killer who is tied to a mysterious collection of guns used in infamous New York murders. Microsoft and IDW Entertainment are co-developing a limited event live-action series based on Chuck Dixon and artist Jorge Zaffino's graphic novel series Winterworld. With the world encased in ice from pole to pole, the surviving humans have formed tribes that war, enslave, and trade with one another in an effort to survive the infinite winter. Ted Adams and David Ozer from IDW Entertainment, and Rick Jacobs and Dave Alpert from Circle of Confusion (Walking Dead) will executive produce.

    While Xbox Entertainment Studios is actively talking to the game developers behind State of Decay, Age of Empires, Fable, Gears of War and Forza, Halo is the only confirmed videogame adaptation. But Microsoft is turning the pen-and-paper, role-playing game Deadlands, created by Shane Lacy Hensley, into a series. The genre-bending alternative history of the Weird West is filled with undead gunfighters, card-slinging sorcerers, mad scientists, secret societies, and fearsome abominations.

    "We are working closely with Microsoft Studios and have discovered that their creative process is not much different from our own," said Tellem. "We are also enlightened by the complexity of game building and the focus of the game play; this is incredibly insightful as we look to produce more immersive storytelling experiences over time. To have access to the talent of Microsoft is an unparalleled opportunity as we continue to build Xbox Entertainment Studios."

    列文指出，如今市面上已经有了比以往更多的跨媒体体验，比如HBO热门美剧《权力的游戏》（Game of Thrones）和AMC的《行尸走肉》（The Walking Dead）都有各自的游戏版本，但是大多数这种跨媒体体验都需要用户在第二块屏幕上操作。列文说：“有了Xbox后，这个功能也被整合到Xbox上。Xbox一开始的功能是一台游戏机，后来又加上了观看视频的功能。现在人们已经开始更多地把它当成一个娱乐设备。虽然我们想利用Xbox的交互性，但是我们也意识到，很多细枝末节经常起了画蛇添足的作用。我们的眼睛最关注的还是一个好故事。”

    Xbox的交互性将在今年6月13日至15日的第13届波纳若音乐艺术节上得到充分展示，届时Xbox Live平台将全程直播这次盛会。特拉姆表示，粉丝们可以在Xbox上观看不同舞台的节目，还可以与其他音乐爱好者进行交流，甚至可以与在后台的乐队通过Skype进行交流。这次活动也让我们感受到了未来大型活动直播的交互前景。

    Xbox还将推出两套具有国际吸引力的真人秀剧集。其中“每个街道的联赛”（Every Street United）将是一套没有剧本的电视剧，每集30分钟，一共8集。另外还有一场一小时的决赛，主要展示的是全球各地的街头足球。本剧将由传奇球星亨利和埃德加•戴维斯主演，由艾美奖导演乔纳森•霍克【代表作《街头篮球》（Streetball）】执导。本片将在美国、英国、阿根廷、西班牙、巴西、荷兰、加纳、韩国等地实地拍摄。本剧的最后一集将在7月里约世界杯开幕前以一场4对4的街头足球决赛结束。特勒姆表示，这部将于6月上映的剧集是Xbox试图通过原创试频，在Xbox One、Xbox 360、Windows 8（PC和平板）和WP8设备上吸引全球受众的一次尝试。

    《无所畏惧》（Fearless， 暂定名）是目前正在试拍的一套无剧本的剧集。该剧的主演保罗•迪•格尔德是一名澳大利亚海军扫雷潜水员，也是一位鲨鱼袭击的幸存者。他在剧中踏上了一段旅程，去帮助那些冒着生命危险让世界变得更美好的人。列文表示，这部剧集将带着观众走进那些追逐龙卷风的人、美国海岸警卫队救生员以及与全副武装的盗猎者做斗争的护林人的生活。格尔德曾在一次鲨鱼袭击中失去了一条胳膊和一条腿，他在剧中甚至还会在无保护的情况下与大白鲨一起游泳。

    列文说：“每一个任务背后都有目的和原因。我们的交互团队把重点放在两个领域，用户通过控制不同的角度，以及通过观看非最终剪辑版的片子，可以从这些冒险类和令人肾上腺素飙升的剧情里获得更多的代入感。同时他们也可以与他们的社区互动，探索每一集背后的原因。”

    列文和特勒姆也都表示，这些剧集都是试验性的，因为所谓的交互性以及Xbox受众的口味并不是一成不变的。

    列文表示：“在这些节目播出之前，我们不知道它是否会取得成功。不过我们想先制作一些东西出来，以从我们的观众那里获取反馈。”

    与此同时，微软还与全球几大电视剧公司合作拍摄电视剧。比如《人类》（Humans）就是一部瑞典电视剧《真实的人类》（Real Humans）的英语版本。该剧将于2015年登上Xbox平台以及英国的Channel 4频道，讲述的是一个家庭购买了一个叫做Synth的机器仆人之后所发生的事。

    另外Xbox娱乐工作室也正在收购书籍和漫画小说的版权。比如，它正在把《纽约时报》（the New York Times）畅销书、沃伦•埃利斯的侦探惊悚小说Gun Machine改编成电视剧。埃利斯将与布莱特•康拉德【代表作《混乱之子》（Sons of Anarchy）】一起担任本剧的制片人，康拉德现在已经开始动笔撰写本剧的剧本。本剧讲述了一个侦探追踪一个连环杀人案凶手的故事。在追查这个凶手的过程中，又发现有人神秘地收藏了纽约各大谋杀案中所使用的各种枪支。另外微软和IDW娱乐公司还在合作开发查克•迪克森和画家乔治•扎菲诺共同创作的漫画小说《冬季世界》（Winterworld）的真人剧版。本剧讲述的是全球都被冰雪覆盖之后，幸存的人类结成一个个部落，为了在无尽的冬天继续生存而进行战争、奴役和交易的故事。IDW娱乐公司的泰德•亚当斯和大卫•奥泽尔以及Circle of Confusion公司（代表作《行尸走肉》）的里克•雅克布斯和戴夫•阿尔伯特将担任本剧的制片人。

    虽然Xbox娱乐工作室正在积极接洽《腐烂之都》（State of Decay）、《帝国时代》（Age of Empires）、《神鬼寓言》、《战争机器》和《飞驰竞速》（Forza）等游戏背后的开发者，但是目前为止《光晕》还是唯一一个已经确认了的根据游戏改编的剧集。但微软现在正打算把肖恩•莱西•亨斯利出品的角色扮演游戏《死亡之地》（Deadlands）改编成电视剧。这部剧集充满了神秘西部的各种钓人胃口的元素，比如不死的枪手、会飞牌的巫师、疯狂科学家、秘密帮派以及其他惊悚元素。

    Comedy is also in the mix for Xbox. Extraordinary Believers is a new series from Robot Chickencreators Stoopid Buddy Stoodios (Seth Green, Matt Senreich, Eric Towner, and John Harvatine IV) that blends reality TV, improv comedy, and CGI characters into an original story. A trio of medieval characters is transported to Los Angeles and needs to find magic mushrooms to return to their home. Levin said the technology behind this series is not only cool, it also affords Microsoft the ability to create a casual game or a console game about characters from another world trying to escape our world.

    There's also an untitled JASH Comedy/Variety half-hour show in development with Sarah Silverman, Michael Cera, Tim and Eric, and Reggie Watts. Each week, a different comedian will host/curate a show featuring new and unsung talent, using various video formats. Silverman will host the pilot episode, and Daniel Kellison (Crank Yankers) will executive produce. The series has a pilot commitment and will begin shooting in June.

    In a way, the Xbox platform is affording Microsoft the ability to have its own interactive pilot season any time of the year. The traditional model, where Hollywood studios waste hundreds of millions of dollars on shows that never reach air, is outdated for today's mobile, always-on-demand generation of gamers. Microsoft can test a show, get immediate reaction, and then tweak it for a series, or completely scrap it.

    "This is the tip of the iceberg of a pretty robust pipeline across live events, unscripted, drama, comedy, and original programming," said Levin.

    特勒姆说：“我们正在与微软工作室进行密切合作，而且发现他们的创意流程和我们并没有太大的区别。构建游戏的复杂性以及游戏设置的重点也让我们受益良多，因为随着时间的推移，我们也需要创造更能让人沉浸其中的故事体验。在我们持续构建Xbox娱乐工作室的过程中，能够接触到微软的人才，实际是一次无可比拟的机会。”

    喜剧也是Xbox瞄准的目标之一。《非凡的信徒》（Extraordinary Believers）就是美剧《机器鸡》（Robot Chicken）的出品方Stoopid Buddy Stoodios的一部最新力作。本剧将真人秀、即兴喜剧和CGI人物形象融合进了一个原创故事中。三个中世纪的人物“穿越”到了当代的洛杉矶，他们必须找到传说中有魔力的蘑菇才能回家。列文表示，这部剧集背后的技术不仅很酷，而且它使微软有能力据此开发一款休闲游戏或视频游戏，描述来自另一个世界的人物千方百计从我们的世界里逃出去的故事。

    另外，Xbox还在与萨拉•丝沃曼、迈克尔•塞拉、蒂姆与艾瑞克以及瑞吉•沃兹等名流共同开发一档尚未命名的半小时喜剧真人秀节目。每周都会有一名不同的喜剧明星主持节目，在节目上露面的其他嘉宾都是新人或默默无名的人才。试播集将由萨拉•丝沃曼主持，丹尼尔•凯利森（代表作《Crank Yankers》）将担任制片。这部剧将从六月起开始拍摄。

    Xbox平台使微软有能力在今年的任何时候推出自己的互动试播季。过去好莱坞常有花了数亿美元重金打造的剧集最终无法播出的情况，但这种情况对于移动平台上总是对内容有需求的新一代玩家来说已经是过去时了。微软可以测试一个节目，迅速获得反馈，然后把它拍成电视剧或是把它砍掉。

    列文说：“这些还只是冰山一角，它在活动直播、无剧本节目、电视剧、喜剧和原创编程内容方面都大有可为。”（财富中文网）

    译者：朴成奎