The Orange County Convention Center will be the first stop this summer for a “traveling theme park” centered around Microsoft’s Halo video game franchise.
Called Halo: Outpost Discovery, the event will include virtual reality experiences, a Halo museum, life-sized vehicles from the game and a Halo ring, along with a “gamer-centric” marketplace.
The tour will stay in Orlando from July 5 to 7, followed by stops in Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston and Anaheim. The event is a collaboration between Microsoft’s 343 Industries, which is in charge of the Halo franchise, and Herschend Live, the live event company in charge of the Harlem Globetrotters and subsidiary of the owner of the Dollywood, Silver Dollar City and Wild Adventures theme parks.
“We had been exploring the location-based entertainment space and what it would mean to bring Halo more into the physical realm,” said Kiki Wolfkill, studio head for Halo transmedia and entertainment at 343 Industries “Herschend brought with them the idea of a touring versus a permanent installation and that really fit with the ideas that we were interested in expressing.”
It’s not the first Halo-themed event to come to the convention center, which hosted a Halo World Championship esports event in February 2018.
Halo: Outpost Discovery will feature their own competitive experiences, such as a Halo-themed laser tag battle featuring two teams of up to 20 players and a VR “combat training” exercise where teams of three will get to simulate what it’s like to be a Spartan in the Halo universe.
Prices for the event start at $130 for 3-day general admission and $60 for a single-day ticket. Special deals include VIP tickets starting at $140 per day, which will grant early entry ahead of guests with general admission.
Photo credit: 343 Industries