Responding to a question on Twitter, Xbox head Phil Spencer confirmed today that the Steven Spielberg directed Halo television series is still in development.

Straight from the horse's mouth to nerd ears, Xbox boss Phil Spencer, when asked on Twitter whether the Halo TV series for Showtime was alive or dead, responded with a curt "Alive."

This is the first time the show has been talked about, or even mentioned, in a while. Its last known status was commented on nearly a year ago at the Television Critics Association press tour, when Showtime President David Nevins was asked for an update on the Halo TV show he replied, “It’s still in development. Still in very active development.” But since then not so much as a peep about the show has been uttered until now.

The Halo television series was announced three years ago, the same year as the Xbox One, and was being pitched as one of a long line of upcoming original programming for Xbox users. Excitement for the show mounted when it was also announced that it would be live-action and headed by Steven Spielberg. Eventually, it was revealed the Halo TV show would not be exclusive to Xbox, instead it would find a home at Showtime. A year later, after Microsoft's TV division collapsed due to massive job cuts by the company, the project was confirmed to be saved and most agree Showtime likely had a part in that.

Afterwards, Microsoft wanted to expand the Halo brand by uniting all its media -- such as games, television, and books -- so people could experience the same Halo universe, but in many different ways. This unification lead some to assume the Halo TV series might debut sometime near, or alongside, the release of Halo 5: Guardians in late 2015, but, alas, it did not.

This recent response from Phil Spencer is the first anyone has heard about the Halo television series in a year, and what is curious is news seems to come only if pried from someone involved with the project. Of course, questions are always responded to briefly and concisely with a simple confirmation that it is still in development. This makes it appear that, whatever is going on with the show, Microsoft and Spielberg are not ready to talk about it. This could bode well or ill for fans who are still anxious to see what the show has cooked up for the popular franchise. When can the public expect another update on the show? If the current trend holds, fans should get confirmation that the show still exists around a year from now.

Source: Gamespot