Halo Wars Creator Ensemble Studios To Be Shut Down Confirms Microsoft
The owner of Ensemble Studios and publisher of the upcoming Halo Wars has confirmed that Ensemble Studios will be closing down once work on the Xbox 360 exclusive Halo Wars title is complete. In a statement to GameSpot, Microsoft said that the closure of the Dallas-based studio “does not reflect at all on Ensemble’s talent or the quality of Halo Wars,” adding that the team has made “invaluable contributions to the games industry with their Age of Empires and Age of Mythology games.”
Microsoft calls the choice “a fiscally rooted decision that keeps MGS on its growth path.”
While Ensemble will see closure come launch date, the statement further explains that a “leadership team” from the studio will form a brand new development entity one that will continue to support Halo Wars post launch and work on unspecified Microsoft Game Studios titles.
What makes things interesting is those let go from the studio might be finding a home at the newly formed Microsoft Game Studios, as Microsoft put it, they were: “working to place as many Ensemble employees who do not move to the newly formed studio into open positions within Microsoft as possible.”
According to sources close to the situation, there have been no lay-offs yet at Ensemble Studios, but there was an internal confirmation that the Dallas based developer is to be shut down sometime next year.
Those sources also said that Microsoft corporate VP Shane Kim visited the studio in person to deliver the bad news. The former vice president of Microsoft Game Studios informed the rank and file that, come Halo Wars ship date, the 13-year old dev studio would be closed.
Good luck to all involved.
