Seven years ago, Jason Jones, the creator behind the renowned Halo video game franchise, began crafting a dystopian narrative centered on a future where artificial intelligence–powered robots rebel, triggering global disruption and endangering human civilization. The story unfolds as an oral history of what Jones terms the "A.I. apocalypse," presented through the viewpoints of more than 100 characters spanning six continents.
Recognizing the scope of this story exceeded traditional novel boundaries, Jones teamed up with novelist and collaborator Margaret Stohl, known for her work in comics and video games, to develop the concept into a broader multimedia venture. This collaboration led to the formation of Stone Kite, an entertainment company designed to deliver the narrative across multiple platforms simultaneously—including comics, video games, manga, screen adaptations, fiction, and graphic novels—a departure from the industry's typical cautious approach of testing new intellectual property in a single medium before expanding.
Stone Kite's inaugural release is "One Zero One," an 80-page graphic novel adapted from Jones’s manuscript and the first installment in a planned four-part series. The story tracks four protagonists navigating the chaos of the robot uprising and includes Easter eggs hinting at future expansions, along with a QR code directing readers to a community forum on Discord. In addition, the company has begun publishing excerpts from Jones's novel, “An Oral History of Humanity’s Final Invention,” to further build engagement.
Operating out of a Los Angeles office, Stone Kite has assembled a team of 22 employees and nearly 250 collaborators, maintaining project confidentiality through nondisclosure agreements. The company has attracted experienced industry figures such as screenwriter Akela Cooper and director Jay Roach, alongside celebrated authors including Lev Grossman and Stephen Graham Jones. Stohl leveraged her Marvel Comics background to recruit illustrators like Peach Momoko and Dan Panosian. Stohl emphasized the company’s adaptive strategy, allowing them to shift between formats if certain approaches do not resonate, reflecting changing consumer habits away from traditional media silos.
Despite industry success tied to established franchises, Stone Kite’s ambitious all-at-once strategy is considered a risky bet. Brandon Katz of Greenlight Analytics described the comprehensive investment in unproven characters and storylines as “massively risky and expensive,” while acknowledging the appetite for fresh material amid widespread franchise fatigue.
Jones’s reputation as a game industry pioneer, with blockbuster titles such as Destiny and Halo under his belt, could aid Stone Kite in attracting an audience, given the existing fanbase for his work. Stephen Wacker, Marvel Comics' editor in chief and a co-founder of Stone Kite, initially expressed skepticism about Jones’s legendary status but was encouraged by Jones’s collaborative and open approach to developing the project.
Jones and Stohl’s partnership, forged in 2017 during Stohl’s consulting work with Bungie—the video game company Jones co-founded—balances Jones’s preference for privacy and behind-the-scenes involvement with Stohl’s networking agility. Their shared interests in strategic storytelling and military history have shaped the company’s creative direction.
As Stone Kite prepares to launch its first projects, the subject matter, involving rogue superintelligent machines, has gained renewed relevance amid growing global concerns about the risks of artificial intelligence. Stohl noted the eerie alignment between current events and themes Jones explored years ago, underscoring the compelling timeliness of their narrative universe.