[CONFIRMED] - Ensemble Shuttering After Halo Wars?

[Dr.Finger]

It's stories like this that I hate to cover. Shacknews is reporting (http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/54648) that the Microsoft-owned development house Ensemble Studios will be shut down after work on the upcoming Halo Wars is completed.
Shacknews has learned via multiple independent reports that developer Ensemble Studios (Age of Empires) will shut down operation following the release of its upcoming title Halo Wars.

According to sources, employees not associated with Halo Wars have been laid off today. Those attached to Halo Wars have been offered incentives to stay on the project until completion. Halo Wars, a real-time strategy game set in the popular Halo universe, is set for release in the first half of 2009 for the Xbox 360.

Source - Joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/09/rumor-ensemble-to-close-after-halo-wars/).

What does it say when a developer doesn't even have security while working on a Halo game?

UPDATE: It's now been confirmed via Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6197465.html): In a statement issued today, Microsoft confirmed that Ensemble will be shut down once the Xbox 360-exclusive RTS set in the best-selling Halo franchise ships out early next year.

[Wyrm]

Does this mean they think the game is a wash? I don't see this as a boding well for Halo Wars.

[Roc Ingersol]

How does wholly-owned Ensemble get into this situation?

How many award winning RTSs does it take to keep their corporate masters happy? They've had enough time since their last release that I could understand a mis-fired project or two - but even that shouldn't cause Microsoft to get all shutter-happy.

[bapenguin]

Wow. That's horrible if true. These guys have always been really awesome to the site. If true I wish them the best.

[Heretic Machine]

That's a damn shame; Age of Empires is one of the highlights of the RTS genre.

[xcalibur]

MS seems to be on a mission to reduce/remove all in-house development. Part of a big cost-cutting plan I assume.


-X

[OmegaVader]

I always thought Ensemble as a profitable studio...how do you lose employees after the success of the Age of Empire series and while making a Halo title?

[jeffbax]

What the hell? This is a travesty. So many nights spent in AoE and AoE 2...

[Adam Blue]

Gah...they didn't even want to do this title and were hoping to be working on their own IP. (Well, from what I heard. I'm in the DFW area after all)

[siz]

I will be interested to hear more about why this happened. Maybe if one of the laid-off employees speaks out. It seems that the Age of Empires 2 was a huge game and I thought the series had been selling well.

[Amalor]

After all the great games Ensemble has made for the Microsoft label I have to think maybe its a internal decision to dissolve the Ensemble name and form a new studio. I can't believe MS would shut them down in some non amicable way, think about it, they need the code to patch whatever problems pop up and they know the game will sell well, after all it's got "Halo" in the title so a big launch is a no-brainer and MS is even getting a figure line made by McFarlaine's toy studio.

[darklordjames]

Game companies do not announce closure of a studio before a game is done unless the game is canceled. Why? If the employees know that they are doomed, then it impossible for them to produce a reasonably acceptable finished product. This story has no credibility.

[PopoWRX]

A shame if this proves to be true. AoE2 is one of the benchmark RTS games of any era.

[Telefrog]

Gamasutra is also reporting a similar story (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=20167). This is truly a shame, if true.


Speaking to Gamasutra, a Microsoft representative declined to issue a statement but claimed an official response is en route.

[H.Bogard]

I always thought Ensemble as a profitable studio...how do you lose employees after the success of the Age of Empire series and while making a Halo title?

AoE3 sold millions. How the hell did they lose money on that?!

[xcalibur]

AoE3 sold millions. How the hell did they lose money on that?!

I don't think AoE3 sold as much as some people might think.


-X

[H.Bogard]

I don't think AoE3 sold as much as some people might think.


-X

Read up the Gamasutra link.

-H
signatures are not fun

[Delenda]

I don't think AoE3 sold as much as some people might think.


-X

AoE III sold over two million copies (http://www.agecommunity.com/press.aspx?PressReleaseID=161) and spawned two expansions.

So I think it sold quite a lot.

[xcalibur]

Read up the Gamasutra link.

-H
signatures are not fun


That doesn't specify sell-in vs. sell-through, unfortunately.

Don't get me wrong, I am saddened by Ensemble going down, I am just not sure how profitable they were over recent years. They are a pretty good size studio that I imagine has a pretty hefty burn rate.


-X

[H.Bogard]

That doesn't specify sell-in vs. sell-through, unfortunately.

Don't get me wrong, I am saddened by Ensemble going down, I am just not sure how profitable they were over recent years. They are a pretty good size studio that I imagine has a pretty hefty burn rate.


-X

Yeah, they just shipped two million copies because there wasn't any demand. :rolleyes:

I still remember that by Xmas of the year the game was released, it had sold around 1-1.5 million copies. And they celebrated that with special Xmas maps or something.

[xcalibur]

Yeah, they just shipped two million copies because there wasn't any demand. :rolleyes:

I still remember that by Xmas of the year the game was released, it had sold around 1-1.5 million copies. And they celebrated that with special Xmas maps or something.

I didn't say there was no demand. I simply said that 2 million number may be misleading as it doesn't specify sell-in vs. sell-through. No need to get snarky. <insert obligatory rolleyes emoticon here>


-X

[LordBeatnik]

Game companies do not announce closure of a studio before a game is done unless the game is canceled. Why? If the employees know that they are doomed, then it impossible for them to produce a reasonably acceptable finished product. This story has no credibility.

I see 3 options:

1: The story is total BS
2: The game is canned (or being handed to someone else) and the studio is gone
3: the story is true and some managers at MS are complete morons.

As you eluded to, (if true) it is no longer in the best interest of developers to actually finish the project. There are amusing stories out there of projects getting dragged out for YEARS because the people working on it had every reason to not want it done. Devs keep dragging it out while looking for new jobs. What can MS do? Fire them? They're going to be unemployed if it's finished anyway, so monster.com and dice.com would get plenty of traffic instead of work being done.

Maybe they think it's close enough to done to go ahead and pull the studio's plug, but it's very dangerous. It's a great way to end up releasing a product that's buggy, late, and unfixable.

[xcalibur]

I see 3 options:

1: The story is total BS
2: The game is canned (or being handed to someone else) and the studio is gone
3: the story is true and some managers at MS are complete morons.

As you eluded to, (if true) it is no longer in the best interest of developers to actually finish the project. There are amusing stories out there of projects getting dragged out for YEARS because the people working on it had every reason to not want it done. Devs keep dragging it out while looking for new jobs. What can MS do? Fire them? They're going to be unemployed if it's finished anyway, so monster.com and dice.com would get plenty of traffic instead of work being done.

Maybe they think it's close enough to done to go ahead and pull the studio's plug, but it's very dangerous. It's a great way to end up releasing a product that's buggy, late, and unfixable.

Supposedly MS is dangling the golden handcuffs over alot of people's heads. Stay on and finish the game by X date and you get a nice severance package at the end. Quit early, and get nothing.


-X

[Magnanimous Gnome]

Another legendary studio bites the dust. This news is disheartening to say the least. That they go out making something like Halo Wars is even worse. :(

This is also yet another great studio that MS has dissolved or let go in the last year or two. Something's definitely going on there, whether it's just major gutting or something else entirely.

[beefyjr]

Game companies do not announce closure of a studio before a game is done unless the game is canceled. Why? If the employees know that they are doomed, then it impossible for them to produce a reasonably acceptable finished product. This story has no credibility.
FASA might have something to say about that.

While anything is possible, right now I think this rumor is bogus. Ensemble has a proven track record with nothing but hits and is working on a highly anticipated game based on Microsoft's biggest license. If Microsoft isn't interested in them for whatever reason, I'm sure there are other publishers who wouldn't mind buying them to bolster their RTS teams. FASA I get; Shadowrun had turned into something of a clusterfuck and they seemed like they were having problems for a long time. But has anyone heard of trouble at Ensemble before this?

Hopefully it isn't true, and if it is hopefully those losing their jobs will land on their feet.

[Roc Ingersol]

Speaking to Gamasutra, a Microsoft representative declined to issue a statement but claimed an official response is en route.If they can't even muster a standard denial, I think that about seals it.
=/

Best of luck Ensemble people; thanks for the great games.

[bapenguin]

All I know is what I played of this at E3 was friggin awesome. I don't see MS canning it unless there are some budget issues.

[archon]

I really hope this isn't true. I'm really looking forward to Halo Wars and I've always loved the AoE series. I wanted to see Age of Empires with mechs and future technology eventually. :(

[Telefrog]

Confirmed! Damn. Fuck it all to Hell. That sucks ass.

Though Microsoft will close the studio, Ensemble brass plan to soldier on. As part of today's statement, Microsoft said that Ensemble's "leadership team" will form a new development house, and has already entered into an agreement with the publisher to continue supporting Halo Wars post-launch, "as well as work on other projects with Microsoft Game Studios."

Commenting on the reason for the closure, Microsoft said, "This was a fiscally rooted decision that keeps MGS on its growth path. While the decision to dissolve Ensemble was not an easy one, Microsoft is working to place as many Ensemble employees who do not move to the newly formed studio into open positions within Microsoft as possible."

[Psykoboy2]

That's just fucking depressing.

[H.Bogard]

Well fuck you MS! Fuck you! :mad:

[Wyrm]

Well that fucking sucks.

No one is immune.

Expect to see it happen more often as the economy kicks the bucket.

[Heretic Machine]

Yeah, real smart "fiscal move" there, MS. If you got them started on a new game now, you could release it about six months after SC2 comes out, and cash in on all of the new RTS fans that game will bring into the genre.

[AgtFox]

Well, whoever called the starting a new studio after dissolving Ensemble wins a prize. It also looks like they are trying to find places for the other people as well. My best guess is they wanted to shake things up a bit, but they kept the leadership team to spin them off to another company. Now, question is who is on the "leadership team".

[king3567]

:(

R.I.P. Ensemble.

This damn depressing. Contrary to what many people say, Age of Empires II is the best Real Time Strategy game ever. Hell, I even play Age of Mythology periodically now. Fuck! So many fond memories and hours spent with their games. I never got to play anything past Titans since I fell out of the PC gaming loop, but everything they've made seemed to be of quality still.

I say we Evil Avatars gather round and play some rounds of Age of Empires II or Mythology. You know, for old times sake.

:(

[LordBeatnik]

Supposedly MS is dangling the golden handcuffs over alot of people's heads. Stay on and finish the game by X date and you get a nice severance package at the end. Quit early, and get nothing.


-X

It's not about quitting, it's about finding another job. And there's one unavoidable truth of layoffs: the best people leave first. They generally have no problem finding another position. Sure, if you don't find another job on time, having a fat severance is better than a small one. But as part of a team, you don't have total control of meeting the release criteria. If meeting the target looks sketchy, there are 2 options:

1: work your ass off to try and meet it.
2: Shrug, and hope they'll just shove the pile of crap out the door and call it good, or that it'll keep limping along and you can keep milking it while looking for another job.

If the payday is large (at least 1/2 a year's salary before I'd really start to care), maybe people would actually do #1. Otherwise, I'd still bet on the human nature of people with poor morale to do #2.

So some fun questions are who gets the bonus? For one project I worked on, there was a bonus for meeting a key milestone by a certain date. The problem? Both devs and QA got the bonus. How much incentive does QA have at that point to hold up the release? None. So long as it somewhat worked, QA was content to turn a blind eye to it so they could get their cut of the bonus.

And the flip side is if QA doesn't get the bonus, what incentive do they have to care when it goes out the door? If they're part of the layoff, the more roadblocks to release they can throw up, the longer they can milk it.

In my career I've seen the unintended consequences of layoffs too many times. Human's aren't the blind robots managers often try and treat them as. Spook them, and watch them run. Let the most dedicated, hard working employee know he has no future, and watch his productivity drop as close to nothing as he thinks he can get away with.

[ghost]

Man, this is a damn shame. I've always enjoyed Ensemble's games, they're fantastic executions of the genre. I still play AoE2: Conquerors all the bloody time. How sad. Well, best of luck to them with their new studio, I hope they continue to do top-notch stuff with their new homes.

[Mdot23]

Damn, that's lame as fuck. Halo Wars looks awesome too, just like their previous titles.

[gojira]

Stinks. There's no careers in game programming, just a series of temp jobs.

[grognard66]

This sounds like what happened to the LucasArts studio that was working on Force Unleashed. Even someone who is not into RTS games, like myself, can appreciate the pedigree and quality of the games they released (I tried most, I just suck at RTS). Very sad. Hopefully the core members start a new studio. I didn't even realize they were owned by MS - I thought they were independent.

[jromero]

Hm. Sounds to me like Microsoft just went around buying up anyone they could to help them turn a profit and become a major player in the industry. Now, they are going, "uh, whoops, maybe we went too far" and letting go who they can. They haven't entirely dissolved their relationship with Bungie, but now they've offed Ensemble completely. If I worked for Rare, I'd be getting my resume in order.

[Sandman]

This really sucks but what does it mean for Halo Wars if it ships with game or system breaking bugs? Are we just going to be SOL with MS laughing at us with our $60 in the bank?

[AgtFox]

This really sucks but what does it mean for Halo Wars if it ships with game or system breaking bugs? Are we just going to be SOL with MS laughing at us with our $60 in the bank?
It is sounding like the new developer with the "leadership people" will be supporting Halo Wars after launch. Whether this means that team is now the developer of Halo Wars or the words "Ensemble Studios" will be around until launch is unknown.

And as someone said, if I were with Rare I'd be worried even with their amount of games output recently.

[Deadend]

I suddenly think Halo Wars is going to suck.

I just don't get why MS would close a great RTS studio that might be on the verge of getting console RTS games RIGHT and able to break ground the same way Halo did with FPS games on consoles.

I also wonder what happens to Lionhead and Rare soon.

MS seems to be moving far away from inhouse exclusives.

I figure the PS4 will be purchased by me before the next Xbox as I don't see the next console having more than a few exclusives.

[Sandman]

I know one thing; I won't be buying Halo Wars till I see some good reviews and/or community feedback. I don't like the smell of this one bit.

[Xerxes]

Ummm why not just restructure Ensemble. Kill a brand name for what?

[Talon-]

Ummm why not just restructure Ensemble. Kill a brand name for what?

Yeah, Ensemble is a pretty recognizable brand. I know a surprising number of non-gamer friends know that name by heart from how much they played AOE I/II. Actually, I still don't quite understand why so many of my friends loved the AOE games. I'm talking about people that haven't played any other game ever.

Anyways, it always stinks to hear about a studio closing, and hopefully those that need new jobs will find some good work out there. :(

I don't know if this really means anything to Lionhead or Rare, honestly.

[CylonLord]

What the hell!! I had to read this topic twice to make sure it said Ensemble. All I know is somebody better snatch up these talented people because they sure as hell know how to make a great game. As has been said by others, this does not bode well for HALO Wars.....man, this sucks.

[vallor]

Hm. Sounds to me like Microsoft just went around buying up anyone they could to help them turn a profit and become a major player in the industry. Now, they are going, "uh, whoops, maybe we went too far" and letting go who they can. They haven't entirely dissolved their relationship with Bungie, but now they've offed Ensemble completely. If I worked for Rare, I'd be getting my resume in order.

Before MS launched the XBOX Ensemble was keeping MGS (called the Entertainment Division back then) in the black and MS was already a heavy hitter in the PC market (Zoo Tycoon, Flight Sims, Age series, a couple racing titles that were decent (Midtown Madness) and a few sports games (MLB, I remember specifically)).

The original Ensemble acquistion was a brilliant move that kept them in the upper echelons of the PC game publisher ranks and doesn't stink of the seemingly knee-jerk purchases MS made to shore up their console credibility.

Ensemble doesn't have anything to do with MS trying to become a player in the console space; when they decided to enter the Console space and become a big player they acquired Rare, Bungie, and Lionhead to try and put them over the top.

You have to try and seperate the pre-XBOX MGS from the post-XBOX years.

[Xerxes]

Before MS launched the XBOX Ensemble was keeping MGS (called the Entertainment Division back then) in the black and MS was already a heavy hitter in the PC market (Zoo Tycoon, Flight Sims, Age series, a couple racing titles that were decent (Midtown Madness) and a few sports games (MLB, I remember specifically)).

The original Ensemble acquistion was a brilliant move that kept them in the upper echelons of the PC game publisher ranks and doesn't stink of the seemingly knee-jerk purchases MS made to shore up their console credibility.

Ensemble doesn't have anything to do with MS trying to become a player in the console space; when they decided to enter the Console space and become a big player they acquired Rare, Bungie, and Lionhead to try and put them over the top.

You have to try and seperate the pre-XBOX MGS from the post-XBOX years.

Except you got AOE 3 and Halo Wars which is looking very nice. I mean talent and name just don't seem like anything to get rid of.

[Texas Speed]

I'm not MS, but I can imagine that fully funding a game dev studio oozes money, not to mention the five or six (or more) they had at one point. They seem to be focusing more on console gaming right now anyway, but maybe I'm biased.

Besides, when Bungie went out on thier own, eveyone saw it as a good thing, why not these guys? At least it seems like everyone has jobs.

[Evil Avatar]

man, this sucks.

My thoughts exactly. Ensemble was one of the first studios to support EvilAvatar.com and it is staffed with hard working, professional, talented people.

Getting rid of them as a studio is a pretty bone-headed move.

[Psykoboy2]

Well, if anyone from Ensemble is reading this, feel free to get in touch with any of us EvAv Radio folks, cause we'd love to talk to you.

[Variable Gear]

I'm not MS, but I can imagine that fully funding a game dev studio oozes money, not to mention the five or six (or more) they had at one point. They seem to be focusing more on console gaming right now anyway, but maybe I'm biased.
Ensemble is focusing more on console development as well. Don't forget Halo Wars. Microsoft said (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/09/microsoft-confirms-ensemble-closure-new-studio-opening/) that the new studio would be supporting Halo Wars post-release.

[Hellstorm]

.

Getting rid of them as a studio is a pretty bone-headed move.Clearly Ensemble isn't generating money like Rare is. ;)

[vallor]

Except you got AOE 3 and Halo Wars which is looking very nice. I mean talent and name just don't seem like anything to get rid of.

I totally agree. It seems wasteful to me as well. Hopefully this is just Ensemble's way of pulling a Bungie where they are released to pursue greater independence in development. In the meantime MS gets first refusal to any new games the spin off studio develops or whatever the deal they have with Bungie is.

That doesn't explain why they have to create a new company though, why not let them keep the Ensemble name and studio intact (ala Bungie) unless they need to do some major duty house cleaning?

However, my point to the poster I originally replied to was that Ensemble wasn't the "impulse" purchase MS made to give itself some credibility in the market-space they were weak in (e.g. the console market). They were already somewhat strong in the PC Games space, though nothing steller.

It is sort of sad. By nurturing Ensemble MS and that studio "grew up together", one becoming a world class developer and the other becoming one of the top 10 publishers in the industry.

If that relationship never occurred, or MS allowed Ensemble to go to another publisher rather than purchase them all those years ago I wonder if the games group would have been strong enough to back the proposal for the first XBOX. Or if they would have even been around today; MGS may have been disbanded since Flight Sim and their few other titles barely generated the revenue MGS may have needed to justify themselves as a profitable business by internal Microsoft standards.

Hopefully Halo Wars doesn't suffer much from this as I was really looking forward to it; hopefully MS has plans to keep the Age series alive as one of the high quality mainstay RTS of the genre and don't just whore out the IP to someone who will go and screw it up.

Hopefully all of the folks that aren't fortunate enough to win the hiring lottery for the new studio are able to find positions in MS or other companies quickly. Unfortunately, particularly in Austin, the game companies there are pretty saturated so it will be a tough road for some folks.

[vallor]

Ensemble is focusing more on console development as well. Don't forget Halo Wars. Microsoft said (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/09/microsoft-confirms-ensemble-closure-new-studio-opening/) that the new studio would be supporting Halo Wars post-release.

Was Ensemble focusing more of console development by choice or because that is what MS dictated they do?

It makes sense that the new studio would focus on supporting Halo wars. If a title update (read: patch) is needed we, as customers, deserve continuing support.

Plus if they do any DLC it might be a licence to print money and can be super profitable which is a good thing for the studio since it may give them the cash to fund their studio until they can get whatever they are working on next off the ground.

[chowweekly]

There are no words for this. It's like villainy is a company policy at Microsoft.

[Xerxes]

I totally agree. It seems wasteful to me as well. Hopefully this is just Ensemble's way of pulling a Bungie where they are released to pursue greater independence in development. In the meantime MS gets first refusal to any new games the spin off studio develops or whatever the deal they have with Bungie is.

That doesn't explain why they have to create a new company though, why not let them keep the Ensemble name and studio intact (ala Bungie) unless they need to do some major duty house cleaning?

However, my point to the poster I originally replied to was that Ensemble wasn't the "impulse" purchase MS made to give itself some credibility in the market-space they were weak in (e.g. the console market). They were already somewhat strong in the PC Games space, though nothing steller.

It is sort of sad. By nurturing Ensemble MS and that studio "grew up together", one becoming a world class developer and the other becoming one of the top 10 publishers in the industry.

If that relationship never occurred, or MS allowed Ensemble to go to another publisher rather than purchase them all those years ago I wonder if the games group would have been strong enough to back the proposal for the first XBOX. Or if they would have even been around today; MGS may have been disbanded since Flight Sim and their few other titles barely generated the revenue MGS may have needed to justify themselves as a profitable business by internal Microsoft standards.

Hopefully Halo Wars doesn't suffer much from this as I was really looking forward to it; hopefully MS has plans to keep the Age series alive as one of the high quality mainstay RTS of the genre and don't just whore out the IP to someone who will go and screw it up.

Hopefully all of the folks that aren't fortunate enough to win the hiring lottery for the new studio are able to find positions in MS or other companies quickly. Unfortunately, particularly in Austin, the game companies there are pretty saturated so it will be a tough road for some folks.

I pretty sure Ensemble was in Dallas. More dev houses than Houston but way less than Austin. I'd hope they could make something of themselves. MGS has been trying to rely on these publishing deals. After everyone left them last year it just seems like a stupid move on their part. I thought these shenanigans would end after Shane Kim left. :(

I always considered them second at the table. Even above Rare. Guess it goes Lionhead, Rare, Turn 10 and so on.

[Xerxes]

The new studio should be called Disensembled.

[Disgustipated]

Dick move by Microsoft. These guys made one of the best RTS franchises in the industry. I think it'd be awesome if Halo Wars did really well, commercially and critically, and Microsoft had to say "hey wait, not so fast" when it came to shutting down Ensemble.

[Kelegacy]

As with every studio that is bought by a megacorp, they should all leave and found a new studio. This time, stay independent! Ensemble was a class act.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

Hm. Sounds to me like Microsoft just went around buying up anyone they could to help them turn a profit and become a major player in the industry. Now, they are going, "uh, whoops, maybe we went too far" and letting go who they can. They haven't entirely dissolved their relationship with Bungie, but now they've offed Ensemble completely. If I worked for Rare, I'd be getting my resume in order.

This is a very good point. Rare's the last big studio that MS has now, right?

[Magnanimous Gnome]

This is a very good point. Rare's the last big studio that MS has now, right?


I'm quoting myself here because I completely forgot about Lionhead.


I really think something is going on internally at MS. They've shed studios, and it seems as if they are somewhat grasping at straws as to which direction to take the Xbox 360.

It will be interesting to watch Sony and Microsoft start to diverge course and head off in different directions. Sony seems to be shoring up internal development just as MS is doing the opposite.

I feel bad for the Ensemble guys, and losing such a great name sucks, to put it bluntly. Hopefully a lot of them can get jobs at Relic, Blizzard, and other RTS studios.

[AgtFox]

This is a very good point. Rare's the last big studio that MS has now, right?
What do you term as "big"? MS has:

Rare

Lionhead

Turn 10 (Forza, possibly new house of Project Gotham)

Wingnut Interactive (Peter Jackson's company that is working on...something)

Whatever the new studio is called coming out of Ensemble's ashes

[Telefrog]

Keep in mind that for all the bitching us gamers do about Rare, they're the studio MS tapped to do the primary animation and characters (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=219883) for the New Xbox Experience avatars. They've also got a new Banjo-Kazooie game.

Despite what we may think, they seem to be able to stay relevant.

[menage]

Keep in mind that for all the bitching us gamers do about Rare, they're the studio MS tapped to do the primary animation and characters (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=219883) for the New Xbox Experience avatars. They've also got a new Banjo-Kazooie game.

Despite what we may think, they seem to be able to stay relevant.

Gladly so. I could with some more fun and color in my games and Rare is one of the few supplying quality (on the 360)

[karak]

I really think something is going on internally at MS. They've shed studios, and it seems as if they are somewhat grasping at straws as to which direction to take the Xbox 360.


With such attach success perhaps they are going to let 3rd parties control the direction of the system. Even though this company is also PC games obviously.
It's a strange move but they still have some internal core groups and games and...I know I will get hammered for this. But I am interested in what they are doing not as a bad thing but as a company that seems to have a plan(albeit strange). Mettrick has always been known to be a secretive SOB...well and also sort of an ass.
I sometimes think he has this master plan that is incredibly bold including the FF13 annoncement.
And at other times I think he lives in crazytown.

[Emabulator]

AoE III sold over two million copies (http://www.agecommunity.com/press.aspx?PressReleaseID=161) and spawned two expansions.

So I think it sold quite a lot.AoE III is still on my hard drive.

[Metal Khaos]

Well hopefully everyone finds work quickly. Maybe Infinity Ward is still hiring?

[fitbabits]

This is sickening for the Ensemble staff.

Microsoft seems to think that they have enough third party developers making games for the 360 that they can ramp down internal game development and let the third parties pick up the slack. I see the same thing with Sony. A sign of the times, perhaps.

[BlackPete]

Game companies do not announce closure of a studio before a game is done unless the game is canceled. Why? If the employees know that they are doomed, then it impossible for them to produce a reasonably acceptable finished product. This story has no credibility.

Having been through two exact situations like that... I can say that you are wrong.

[Flatpicker]

This is sickening for the Ensemble staff.

Microsoft seems to think that they have enough third party developers making games for the 360 that they can ramp down internal game development and let the third parties pick up the slack. I see the same thing with Sony. A sign of the times, perhaps.

Agreed.
Think of it this way. MS and Sony spent their way into the console war. They are about 1/2 the way thru this generation and they can make money from the licensing fees now. Best to consolidate developers and retrench while getting ready for the next big thing.
You'll probably see both companies spending money on 3rd party product timed exclusivity or region exclusives ala Square/MS deal.

[Texas Speed]

"Today, we shared with our employees at Ensemble that we have plans to close the studio after Halo Wars RTM. Such a decision is never easy. Like any business, we’re accountable for making tradeoffs and the right level of investments that will drive profit and future growth. However, as we reviewed our first-party portfolio and where we need to invest and divest our resources to achieve our long-term strategies, it became clear to us that closing the studio and redeploying those resources to other more scalable ventures is the right thing for our business at this time.

"Unfortunately, our decision to close Ensemble will adversely impact many of the studio's team members. Following the closure, the Ensemble leadership team will form a new entity and have agreed to partner with Microsoft to develop future products and provide support for Halo Wars post launch. While the new company will be hiring a portion of the Ensemble employees, its size and resources prevent it from offering positions to the entire Ensemble team. We hope to integrate much of this creative talent into MGS or the broader IEB team, where we have relevant openings.

"Ensemble Studios has produced many notable games over the years – including the Ages franchise – that have helped MGS become a leader in interactive entertainment. And now, Halo Wars is already proving to be a hit by people who have seen and played early versions of the game. The Ensemble team is committed to continuing its development, testing and support of Halo Wars through to the completion of halo wars. We're also working closely with the studio’s leaders to ensure a smooth launch of the game in early 2009 and continuing support thereafter. We will support the studio in every way possible as they work to deliver this highly anticipated game.

"This action notwithstanding, I want to emphasize that the overall investment Microsoft is making in video game development is not diminished, and we will continue to bring in talent to work on titles and franchises where we'll see the most ROI. Our priority is to continue to nurture the creative freedom that allows us to successfully drive our business strategy forward. Meanwhile, we're launching some outstanding games over the next few months. We've just launched Too Human and Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise, and soon we'll see many other games hit retail store shelves, including Scene It! 2, Fable 2, Gears of War 2, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Lips and, of course, Halo Wars.

"I want to thank you for your hard work and focus as we head into the next few months and make this a blowout year for first-party games. Please be supportive and respectful of our Ensemble colleagues as they go through this tough time.

"Phil" [Spencer]

GI.Biz (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/phil-spencer-ensemble-closure-is-right-thing-for-our-business)
For those interested.

[Chimpbot]

GI.Biz (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/phil-spencer-ensemble-closure-is-right-thing-for-our-business)
For those interested.

Oh. I get it.

They're trying to keep the "brains" of the operation and can the underlings.
When approaching this from a business-framed mindset, this makes total sense; you do everything you can to keep the thinkers, creators and all-around "more important" people in the team and can the ones who are more easily replaceable by people you already have on the payroll elsewhere.

They're trying to keep Ensemble without actually having to keep Ensemble.

[Dukefrukem]

Does this mean they think the game is a wash? I don't see this as a boding well for Halo Wars.

who, besides halo fans, would buy this game anyway? RTS on a console = failure.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

This is sickening for the Ensemble staff.

Microsoft seems to think that they have enough third party developers making games for the 360 that they can ramp down internal game development and let the third parties pick up the slack. I see the same thing with Sony. A sign of the times, perhaps.

Really? I've seen just the opposite from Sony. They have several internal projects in the works and they have continued to pick up and fund new studios, such as Media Molecule.

[Xerxes]

who, besides halo fans, would buy this game anyway? RTS on a console = failure.

All those people who bought C&C 3 on a console. If that number was so shitty, I doubt EA would have even bothered with bringing Kain over as well. Hell, that LotR games probably was the beginning of all of that. :rolleyes:

[Xerxes]

Really? I've seen just the opposite from Sony. They have several internal projects in the works and they have continued to pick up and fund new studios, such as Media Molecule.

Exactly. MS started all these shenanigans with Shane Kim. Relying on publishing deals only to watch those publishers get swallowed up. Sony is still rolling strong with internal projects.

[H.Bogard]

All those people who bought C&C 3 on a console. If that number was so shitty, I doubt EA would have even bothered with bringing Kain over as well. Hell, that LotR games probably was the beginning of all of that. :rolleyes:

If EA had their way, you'd see those games on the damn Wonderswan. It doesn't prove anything.

[Xerxes]

If EA had their way, you'd see those games on the damn Wonderswan. It doesn't prove anything.

It's justification. You don't seem boom blox on other systems. They aren't that retarded.

[Variable Gear]

RTS on a console = failure.
Sure, Halo Wars is designed for Halo fans, but there have been a couple good examples of console RTS adaptations in recent years. If you can name the two games I'm talking about, then, um...I'll give you some baked goods. :p

[techromage]

My question is why the hell isn't RARE shutting down? What have they done since lauch PDZ and Kameo and now Banjo? Where's all the millions sold off those games? Did they sell enough to satisfy Microsoft's bottom line?

Man, It's a sad sad day when an awesome studio like Ensemble gets closed and a company like RARE gets to coast on for years ad nauseum and yet continue to exist and they haven't done a damn thing. Sad indeed.

[bjornbarspingvinen]

I heard that most of them were to get new job offers at other microsoft studios?

[Crowe]

My question is why the hell isn't RARE shutting down? What have they done since lauch PDZ and Kameo and now Banjo? Where's all the millions sold off those games? Did they sell enough to satisfy Microsoft's bottom line?

Man, It's a sad sad day when an awesome studio like Ensemble gets closed and a company like RARE gets to coast on for years ad nauseum and yet continue to exist and they haven't done a damn thing. Sad indeed.

Somebody hasn't played Viva Pinata???? And if Banjo3 is anything like the first 2....it's gonna ROCK!!! Yeah PDZ sucked, hopefully their next FPS game can be a return to form in that area.

It's a real shame the ensemble are going up in flames but I'm glad Rare still has a spot to fill at Microsoft.

[Xerxes]

It's a real shame the ensemble are going up in flames but I'm glad Rare still has a spot to fill at Microsoft.

The other nut to Lionhead?

[H.Bogard]

It's justification. You don't seem boom blox on other systems. They aren't that retarded.

Great to pick an isolated example.

[Xerxes]

Great to pick an isolated example.

Still an example against what you said. All I need. :rolleyes: