Why are any of you suprised. Microsoft has a record of closing first party studios. They killed 2 of my favorites Digital Anvil and FASA interactive. Its part of their strategy to be the new EA. Moral of the story is if your a developer avoid being bought by MS. Rares time will come as soon as they create the next Shadowrun.

Oh dear... YOU GOTTA BE KIDING!!

I have to disagree with you.

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

This means that the new studio can do work for other companies and be purchased by EA after fulfilling their contract work with Microsoft.

The reason for the closing is to make Microsoft Game Studio profitable. The closing of Ensemble may make them financial sound but I just think that having strong first party studios keeps a company healthy. Just look at how Nintendo has been able to survive during the N64 and Gamecube years. They barely had third party support for their home consoles and had to depend on first and second party games.

Right now Microsoft has the benefit of having a lot of third party support but next gen that might not be the case. They could make a mistake with their console either it's pricing or sticking with DVD 9 while Sony uses BlueRay and Nintendo's uses a proprietary format or HD dvds, just for the sake of the argument. Anything can happen next gen and if Microsoft does not have the third party support that they are use too. It may be really bad for them especially with out first party studios that can carry the console through the lean times.

MS is not cut out to be in the console business. they should just drop out next gen... maybe come back the one after that if they sort their shit out.

AoE was amazing. AoEII was great. AoM was great. I only like AoEIII a little. Maybe I will grow to like it more. Luck for us, AoM continues on the DS.

Actually it was fairly blatant criticism of MS............

Microsoft is going crazy this gen. Were do they expect to get exclusives from? They have let go of so many studios that were loyal to them or owned buy them that it makes my head spin. In a time when both of Nintendo and Sony are showing that first party is what sets you apart, I don't see were MS is going with this. Maybe I just can't see the genious in this? All I know right now is this is making me nervous for the future on my 360, and the future of Microsofts console buisness.

How have Sony done this?

And I don't mean how do you anticipate Sony will do this.  I mean what titles that have already released have shown that Sony's first party is having a quantifiable effect on saving the PS3?

god i hope they make another age of empires, which start in the stone age again. I did NOT like age of empires 3.