Ex-Ensemble Staff Support Halo Wars

Microsoft may have axed Ensemble Studios, but the software giant is still working with former Ensemble employees.

Plano, Tex.-based Robot Entertainment, whose 45-person staff is made up entirely of former Ensemble staffers, said Tuesday that it is currently working with Microsoft Game Studios on additional content for the upcoming Ensemble-developed Xbox 360 strategy game Halo Wars, as well as original, unannounced IP.

Robot Entertainment formed after Microsoft decided to close down fully-owned Age of Empires creator Ensemble last yer. The new studio is led by Tony Goodman, one of the original co-founders of Ensemble, which established itself in 1995.

In a statement today, Goodman declared that the games industry "is in a state of upheaval," and that a small agile independent like Robot is "ideally positioned to play a transformative role in the industry’s future."

Robot will also be supporting online gaming and community of Halo Wars and Age of Empires.

Source: http://www.edge-online.com/news/ex-ensemble-staff-support-halo-wars

Source 2: http://xbox360.thegamereviews.com/story-2943-Halo-Project-Taken-Over-by-Robot.html

Halo Project Taken Over by Robot

It sounds a little like a bad George Lucas prequel, but Robot Entertainment officially announced their existence today anyway, confirming that they are comprised of former Ensemble Studios staff.

Ensemble Studios, the folks who brought you Age of Empires, Age of Empires II, and even Age of Empires III, were surprised by a round of pink slips from owner Microsoft late last year. The closure was especially curious considering that the studio was nearing the end of production on Halo Wars, an RTS based on Microsoft’s flagship Halo IP which is set for release in two weeks.

In its announcement, Robot confirmed that they will be working on "additional content" for Halo Wars, as well as continuing to provide support for both Halo Wars and the Age of Empires series as they redirect efforts to their new initiative of enslaving the human race.

Based in Plano, TX, Robot Entertainment "is a world class game development studio owned and operated by many of the founders of Ensemble Studios," including Tony Goodman, who will act as CEO and "Robot Overlord."

"The video game industry is in a state of upheaval," said Goodman in the press release, "not just games, but the entire landscape. Everything is changing: where we buy games, how we buy games, how much we pay, how long we play, who we play them with. As a fast-moving team of game developers, industry leaders and market experts, Robot Entertainment is ideally positioned to play a transformative role in the industry’s future."

In addition to working with Microsoft on developing content for Halo Wars, Robot will be developing an "original IP," but my guess is that’s just what they want you to think.

Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Goodman and his minions are [message redacted] and we better listen or else they might [message redacted].

Sweet. The article somewhat makes it seem like they are working with M$ on this original IP. Must not be too much bad blood.

It looks to me like what happened to Bungie. Except this time around Microsoft kept the IPs and desolved the company, like they did with FASA.

they have probably already set up agreements for future AOE games.

More Age of Empires would make me a happy boy!

Well M$ did keep Halo from Bungie. Which is the only high selling game they have made.

Wait, you lay off the guys who are finishing a game, and hire them to...make more content for the game?

I realize that's not exactly what's happening here, and that there are several advantages to Microsoft from this arrangement, but it still struck me as odd and amusing.

I said that kind of weird. I ment, instead of letting Ensemble go and become independant again, they desolved the company, like they did with FASA. But like Bungie, they hired them to work on current franchises and future projects.

^ Ahhhhhhh. OK. ;)