Microsoft Confirms Ensemble Studios’ Pending Closure

Following a number of reports that indicated Halo Wars developer Ensemble Studios would be closing following the release of the Halo-themed RTS yesterday, Microsoft confirmed that it would be closing the developer best known for its work on the Age of Empires series.

An official statement (via Gamasutra) confirming the news reads in part:

“Microsoft has decided to close Ensemble Studios following the completion of Halo Wars. After the closure, the Ensemble leadership team will form a new studio and has agreed to provide ongoing support for Halo Wars as well as work on other projects with Microsoft Game Studios.

The team at Ensemble has made invaluable contributions to the games industry with their Age of Empires and Age of Mythology games and with the highly anticipated release of Halo Wars. This decision does not reflect at all on Ensemble’s talent or the quality of Halo Wars. in fact, many people who have had a chance to test drive Halo Wars agree that it is on track to being a fantastic game.

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.”

It’s reassuring to hear that at least some of Ensemble’s staff will continue to support Halo Wars even after the company is closed but it doesn’t make the announcement of a storied developer closing its doors after more than a decade any less shocking.