Part fan event, part touring experience, part amusement park and part video game convention, Halo: Outpost Discovery looks to offer a new type of event for fans of the science-fiction franchise.

While the official Outpost Discovery webpage  lacks many firm details at this moment, the main objective for the event seems to be to ramp-up attention to the upcoming video game, Halo Infinite, but that game seems to be at least another year away, which will most likely be released with the next generation Xbox console. But why promote the event’s page when it’s still incomplete? Regardless of when the game is released, we’re very excited to get more information on this event and can’t wait to attend it, as well!

Billed as a series of “immersive themed attractions,” there’s currently only five U.S. locations currently scheduled during Outpost‘s first-year tour, including:

  • July 5-7 – Orlando, FL
  • July 19-21 – Philadelphia, PA
  • August 2-3 – Chicago, IL
  • August 16-18 – Houston, TX
  • August 30-September 1 – Anaheim, CA

As listed in the press release: “These events will take place in an over 300,000 square feet area and will also allow visitors to play and compete it titles in the Halo franchise, attend panels, meet the creators and special guests, learn how the Halo Universe is made, learn how to livestream and cosplay, participate in an escape room, and so much more.”

343 Industries will be partnering with Herschend Live, which is most-known for helping produce events like The Harlem Globetrotters and Dollywood.

Having attended many different types of conventions — fan-run and corporate — throughout the years, I’ve got a few ideas of what might be available for fans of the franchise:

Halo 5 multiplayer tournaments seem like an obvious, along with Fireteam Raven co-op gaming opportunities. Fans will most likely get updates on the upcoming Halo TV series, currently scheduled to air on Showtime in the near future. Special guests could include everyone involved from Rooster Teeth and Achievement Hunter, who could have multiple panels, discussing Red vs. Blue, Let’s Play, Inside Gaming and other projects, including our favorite, Fails of the Weak!

I’d expect interviews and panel discussions with voice actors like Steve Downes (Master Chief), Jen Taylor (Cortana, Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey), Ike Amadi (Spartan Jameson Locke) and fan-favorite Nathan Fillion (Edward Buck), but it would be great to also have David Scully (Sgt. Johnson), Keith David (The Arbiter), Laura Bailey (Olympia Vale, Rivera), Jennifer Hale (Sarah Palmer), Steve Blum (Multiplayer Team Leader, Brutes), Dee Bradley Baker (Gravemind), Ron Perlman (Lord Hood), John DiMaggio (Atriox, Brute Chieftain, brutes) and Nolan North (Sergeant Forge, Lance Corp. Kojo “Romeo” Agu). I realize that not all of those people are remotely interested — or available — but this is my dream list of actors who I’d like to see speak (and give autographs) at multiple locations.

There could be a movie room, where Nightfall, Forward Unto Dawn and multiple machinima releases could be shown around the clock, including Fails of the Weak!

Halo Wars 2 was the most recently released XBOX One game, available to the public in 2017 and Halo 5: Guardians was released in 2015, but paired with The Master Chief Collection, various downloadable content for a variety of games, Halo: Spartan Assault and Spartan Strike released on multiple platforms, this could be a huge promotional event for Microsoft in general and could spike sales for XBOX platforms around the country and the world. It could also be more than a year-long event, recurring every year.

The more I think about the possibilities, I can’t wait to attend this event!