Jackson’s Halo game

It’s old news at this point that Peter Jackson’s HALO movie is dead (though we did get some awesome props out of it), but the fate of his other HALO project, HALO CHRONICLES has been uncertain. Until now.

CHRONICLES was supposed to be an episodic Xbox game with Jackson at the helm, but like the movie, the project unraveled and now Jackson says it’s “no longer happening.” And now Microsoft has put out an official statement that’s equally pessimistic:

“Microsoft Game Studios is deeply committed to supporting and strategically growing the Halo franchise, and our relationship with Peter and his team is something that we greatly value. Given the bandwidth of both of our companies we’ve decided to put this joint effort on hold and prioritize resources against other projects like Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach and Halo Legends.”

So “on hold” isn’t “cancelled,” but don’t expect this one to wake up from its coma any time soon. I’m curious to know just what the hell happened with Peter Jackson and the HALO franchise to cause all of these projects to disintegrate. It doesn’t sound like there’s any ill will on either side, and surely both parties would imagine that a Jackson HALO movie or game would rake in the dough, so what exactly is the problem here?