'Halo' TV Show Generates Backlash Ahead Of Premiere After Its Showrunner And Actors Admit They 'Didn't Look At The Game'

A TV show based on the video game series Halo is due to premiere on the Paramount+ streaming service this Thursday, March 24th, but is getting flak leading up to the release date after an admission from the show’s writers is going viral. Late last week, Variety published an article on the show that spoke to showrunners and actors who admitted they had little to no experience with the games their show is actually based on.

“We didn’t look at the game. We didn’t talk about the game,” #Halo Season 1 showrunner Steven Kane says of his prep with the game’s developer, 343 Industries. “We talked about the characters and the world. So I never felt limited by it being a game.” https://t.co/Yde7snmhaM pic.twitter.com/eXERhAfsRv

— Variety (@Variety) March 16, 2022

In particular, the quote "we didn’t look at the game" from showrunner Steven Kane stuck out to many fans who were already anxious about the video game's adaptation over prior backlash for design choices like Cortana. As such, Halo fans took to social media platforms like Twitter to air their frustrations with the series ahead of the premiere — though many are predicting that the series would not be good.

The Halo TV showrunners have done an absolutely phenomenal job at destroying any and all hype for their show.

I love the smugness with which, in one fell swoop, they kill any potential excitement from the colossal Halo fanbase. Really incredible stuff. pic.twitter.com/0AjCUM2R6M

— Xavier's Online (Streamer Arc?) (@xaviersonline) March 21, 2022

the halo tv show really went "we didn't look at the games" and this happened pic.twitter.com/FsM89nA8YG

— tanis 🏳️‍⚧️ (@tanisthelesbiab) March 21, 2022

The Halo TV show just isnt landing for me.

The more we see of the show the more it just seems, hm, departed? from the actual franchise. Feels like a script was written and Halo keywords were slotted in.

But I've never really cared too much for Halo live action, so there's that.

— Ascend Hyperion (@Ascend_Hyperion) March 15, 2022

The show seems to center around a plot that involves Master Chief (the video game’s main character) developing empathy and beginning to disobey orders, as well as prominently feature an unknown spartan soldier and her rise through the ranks, but few exact details have been made clear — another point of worry expressed online.

Mannnnn spending $10 million per episode for a Halo TV series and having the balls to say you didn't even look at the game sure is something lol pic.twitter.com/wJyJg7ORoJ

— Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) March 18, 2022

How do you manage to write 265 drafts and not once decide to “look at the games” ? pic.twitter.com/556zRaXlTs

— Ultima | #вʟм (@UltimaShadowX) March 17, 2022

Gaming industry publications and YouTubers have roasted it heavily in the last few weeks, with some reviewers, who have seen episodes in advance, calling the show “formulaic,” criticizing it for straying from the video game origins. TV Guide called it “shamelessly derivative … but fun to watch.” So, the best defense some reviewers seem able to mount for the series runs along the lines of “it’s so bad, it’s good.”

Notable YouTuber Cr1tikal dropped an early take and said, "Imagine if CD Projekt Red said they 'didn't look at the books' when making The Witcher games, actually insane."

The Halo television series was originally supposed to be released in 2015. After almost a decade of development hell, hundreds of draft scripts, millions of dollars and three more canceled release dates, the series will finally arrive on streaming platform Paramount+ this week. Stay tuned for the public reaction when the show actually drops on Thursday.