Halo Legends

Did You Know?

• The soundtrack was composed by various artists, including Tetsuya Takahashi and Yasuharu Takanashi.
• The soundtrack contains mostly remixes of original work by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori, along with some original material.

Development

Microsoft created an internal division, 343 Industries, to manage the Halo brand. Frank O'Connor, 343's creative director, compared the move to George Lucas's control over Star Wars, saying it was vital to direct the universe's direction. The idea for Halo Legends had origins in the 2006 Marvel Comics tie-in, The Halo Graphic Novel; O'Connor noted that the concept of an anime compilation existed for years before gaining momentum. Wanting to tell smaller stories in a different format and art style, O'Connor felt anime was a natural fit, and 343 Industries believed the Japanese narrative style suited the stories well.

Most animation studios Microsoft approached were available, though many were afraid to create their own stories, so O'Connor provided story treatments. Microsoft was deeply involved in ensuring story accuracy, with O'Connor estimating that 50% of the dialogue in the final products came verbatim from original scripts. All stories except one are considered canon, though O'Connor acknowledged some discrepancies arose from artistic interpretation. The studios were given wide latitude in presentation, with O'Connor noting that the look-and-feel of the Halo universe persisted across differing styles.

They were supplied with access to the Halo story bible and art assets. In "The Duel," director Hiroshi Yamazaki used a filter making every cell look hand-painted with watercolors, aiming to show that creators have many animation style options beyond traditional 2D cel-drawing and 3D CG. Voice recording for the English dub was done by Seraphim Digital in Houston, Texas.

Release and reception

Originally scheduled for February 9, the release was pushed back to February 16. The compilation was offered in three retail packages: a standard DVD, a two-disc special edition with additional commentary, and a Blu-ray Disc edition featuring special-edition features and a Halo storyline summary. The United States premiere took place at the AMC Metreon in San Francisco on February 10, and the companion soundtrack was released the previous day by Sumthing Distribution.

Reception was mostly positive. Orlando Parfit of IGN UK called it a successful if uneven fusion of Halo and Japanese anime, essential for fans of Bungie's shooters. IGN US reviewers Cindy White and Christopher Monfette found the shorts surprisingly accessible to sci-fi fans and well worth the time. Matt Miller of Game Informer said it would appeal to story-interested franchise fans, not those focused on multiplayer.

It dropped off the US Blu-ray Top 20 in its second week and slipped to tenth for DVD sales. According to The-Numbers.com, first-week sales were $2.56 million or 168,000 DVDs, later reaching almost 600,000 units. As of 2018, DVD sales had grossed in the United States.