BLITZ

As the Halo franchise continued to grow, Microsoft Game Studios wanted to offer fans a unique and constant connection to the Haloverse throughout the day. Faced with a hard deadline of September 13, 2010, the day before Microsoft released Halo:Reach, we had five months to conceptualize, create and launch Halo Waypoint website. Microsoft's goal was for Waypoint to be the most captivating and interactive Halo experience outside of playing the actual game.

Our strategy is the first of its kind for Halo: each screen (users' Xbox consoles, the web and mobile phones) has a different function in the Haloverse. The Waypoint website, for example, offers loads of details on every Halo-related topic. Users will find Smooth Streaming videos, event info, motion comics, interviews, podcasts, forums … and literally anything else related to this popular franchise. The site's most unique feature is that it was developed entirely in Microsoft Silverlight, making it the most expansive and immersive Silverlight experience yet. Leveraging this technology, we implemented both keyboard and mouse commands into the video-browsing system to give fans an intuitive search experience. To maximize SEO and accommodate non-Silverlight users, Waypoint was also developed in HTML. The seamless flow between these two interfaces enables tech-savvy fans to switch between them without losing their place on the site.

Halo Waypoint's other screens include Microsoft's Xbox 360 and mobile application, which will be released at the end of 2010. The Xbox 360 offers users an overview of high-level topics, while the mobile app will provide instant access to everything Halo. With the three-screen strategy in place, Waypoint is quickly becoming an instinctive source of information for fans, while increasing Halo's touchpoints throughout the day.