Blizzard is hinting at a pretty massive change to its monetization model, with executive producer Jared Neuss saying on a recent podcast that the "goal" is to make all new heroes free for everyone at the start of new seasons.
01.12.2023 - 16:37 / destructoid.com / Pablo Schreiber
For those who enjoyed Paramount Plus’ Halo series, you’re in luck. You can watch all eight episodes of its first season for free on YouTube. Furthermore, the date for the next season might have leaked a bit early.
Halo Season 1 (Paramount+) is free to watch on YouTube https://t.co/cBPk4UVFZb pic.twitter.com/1ifBRFWVbt
Yeah, you read that correctly. A supposed flagship title for the streaming service, the 2022 series based on Xbox’s golden goose is now up on YouTube. There wasn’t any official announcement as to why Halo is available.
However, in the description of the episodes, Paramount might have let the release date for Season 2 slip: February 8. The date was removed, but eagle-eyed viewers like myself found it before it was scrubbed.
Released last year, Halo is a military-action series that loosely adapts the games. I say that since the show, in its first episode, did the unthinkable: they made Master Chief take off his helmet. No other media entry has shown John-117’s face, so seeing who’s underneath was shocking, to say the least.
It took the world by surprise, leading to record numbers for the service for the first episode. Though, a later episode had all of Master Chief’s armor taken off for… adult purposes. While it was hit or miss with critics and fans, the show did well enough to be greenlit for a second season. And, as previously mentioned, fans won’t have to wait that long for its release.
The timing for the date slip seems a bit convenient given The Game Awards being next week. The ceremony, while focused on games, has had its fair share of adaptation reveals and news. In years past, trailers and clips forSonic the Hedgehog 2 and The Super Mario Bros. Movie came out. Heck, even the first trailer for the show was revealed at the event.
So it wouldn’t be surprising to see Halo Season 2 get its trailer debut next Thursday. The show is expected to appear at this weekend’s CCXP convention in Brazil, so we may get something there. However, the date won’t be as big a surprise as they hoped. Still, if the show got a second season, it’s clear the team has something special left to show.
The franchise has seen better days, to be frank. Halo Infinite wasn’t as big as the team hoped, as delays and multiplayer troubles lessened the game’s popularity and impact. It would be cool to see a resurgence of the series and video game adaptations have been great recently if their rival PlayStation’s The Last of Us is anything to go by.
Halo stars Pablo Schreiber (Narcos) as Master Chief/John-117 and Jen Taylor (Halo: Combat Evolved) as Cortana, who we got to speak to last year. The supporting cast boasts the likes of Charlie Murphy (Happy Valley), Natascha McElhone (The Truman Show), and Bokeem Woodbine (S
Blizzard is hinting at a pretty massive change to its monetization model, with executive producer Jared Neuss saying on a recent podcast that the "goal" is to make all new heroes free for everyone at the start of new seasons.
Announced and released in the space of a week, the free God of War Ragnarok DLC Valhalla is out now on PS5, PS4. It'll be delivered via an update to the base game; you don't need to search the PS Store for it. Set aside roughly 8GB for the base game patch, and then you'll download the rogue-like mode on top.
Here's a lovely Christmas present from FuturLab. Its strangely relaxing clean-'em-up, PowerWash Simulator, has just received a brand new level to celebrate the holiday season. Even more good news: it's available on PS5 and PS4 right now. Even better news: it's free.
Formerly known as the Oculus Quest, the Meta Quest series of virtual reality (VR) headsets are standalone devices for VR and AR gaming. VR technology has become much more affordable over the past few years. As prices drop, more users than ever are picking up Meta Quest 2 or 3 headsets and looking for the best titles to get the most out of virtual reality gaming.
The Finals, the free-to-play, team-based shooter from Embark Studios, is out right now. The team surprise launched it during The Game Awards 2023, and you can download and hop into the first-person shooter action right now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam.
Atari and Digital Eclipse have just released a major update to Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. The Holiday Content Update is now available for free to all owners of the game, and adds a dozen extra playable classics to the already impressive collection.
Halo’s first season wasn’t good. It made bizarre changes to the story and lore of the games. It had barely any action between the Spartans and the Covenant, and Master Chief spent half the season with his helmet off (and often more than that). But it seems that Paramount may have figured out the problem, considering the trailer for the show’s second season is basically all epic-looking battles.
This is not a drill. The Xbox Series X just dropped to a brand new record low price at Walmart, with a stunning $150 discount. This definitely isn't going to last long - it could be a matter of hours before that price returns to normal, so we certainly wouldn't wait before heading to checkout.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer has announced that Starfield has now seen over 12 million players.
By Wes Davis, a weekend editor who covers the latest in tech and entertainment. He has written news, reviews, and more as a tech journalist since 2020.
Ready to return to the world of Halo? The second season of Paramount Plus’ live-action adaptation just released a first look at CCXP alongside a February 8 release date.
The Targaryen civil war is on the horizon in the first trailer for House of the Dragon season 2. The trailer was released on Saturday at the CCXP convention in Brazil, during a panel for the show’s new season. House of the Dragon season 2 will be released next summer.