转自游戏时代 http://www.cng4u.com/2008/09/10/ensemble-closing-confirmed/

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Posted on 09月 10th, 2008 作者： leon

Shacknews从多方获悉，《帝国时代（Age of Empires）》的开发商Ensemble Studios在完成《光环战争（Halo Wars）》后将被关闭。

消息人士透露，与《光环战争》项目不相关的员工已被解雇，《光环战争》的重要开发人员被许以一定的好处，直到游戏完成。《光环战争》是以《光环》世界为故事背景的即时战略游戏，于2006年9月公布，预计在2009年上半年发售。本次的故事背景设定在光环初代之前，即UNSC舰队与星际联盟交战之际。

Ensemble Studios成立于1995年，是著名即时战略游戏《帝国时代》系列和《神话时代》系列的开发商，于2001年5月被微软收购。

事后微软证实了此事，并发布了一个声明。《光环战争》完成后原Ensemble Studios的核心团队将成立一个新的工作室以便于对《光环战争》提供支持和开始新的项目。微软表示做出这个决定是十分困难的，解散原因和工作室人员能力以及《光环战争》的品质没有任何关系，事实上有机会接触《光环战争》的人都承认该游戏将成为一款传奇的游戏。之所以选择解散并关闭Ensemble Studios，主要出于财政上的原因（Ensemble Studios此前拥有100多人的规模，可能是维持费用过于庞大）。微软表示也将尽可能地为不能进入新工作室的雇员提供更多的公开职位。



微软官方就此传闻向 shacknews.com 发来的声明原文

引用:

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 Ensembles 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.

As to our overall strategy at MGS, it remains the same. We are committed to growing MGS with world-class talent both internally and with our external partners around the globe. We have recently added some well-known developers to our team and will continue growing the team. Were particularly excited about the titles we have in the pipeline and continue to evaluate additional opportunities to bring incredible games to life with the industrys best. Our investment in games has never been greater than it is today.

[ 本帖最后由 RestlessDream 于 2008-9-10 12:17 编辑 ]

没有AOE4了？

看来MS不准备再做PC GAME了

现金无限就这样折腾?

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6197465.html
Confirmed: Microsoft closing Ensemble

By Tom Magrino, GameSpot Posted Sep 9, 2008 5:59 pm PT Publisher affirms rumors that it will dissolve Halo Wars dev upon game's completion; leadership team to form new studio that will "work on other projects with Microsoft Game Studios."

Confirmation has come fast in regard to rumors surfacing earlier today that Microsoft would be closing its internal developer Ensemble Studios upon the completion of sci-fi real-time strategy game Halo Wars. 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.

"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," the publisher said in a statement. "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."

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."

As noted earlier today, the Age of Empires brand has sold more than 20 million units since the first installment debuted on the PC in 1997. According to the NPD Group, Ages of Empires III for the PC has sold 1.15 million units in the US alone through July 2008, with The Warchiefs expansion tallying nearly 305,000 more. (The second expansion, Asian Dynasties, was developed by Rise of Nations creators Big Huge Games.)

Ensemble has been a Microsoft-owned studio since 2001.

默哀……

看来XO准备要出无线键鼠了

这些人估计被拉去开发新的光环游戏了。前几天微软不是说要成立内部光环制作团队么。

引用:

原帖由 阿大大染 于 2008-9-10 12:21 发表
这些人估计被拉去开发新的光环游戏了。前几天微软不是说要成立内部光环制作团队么。

gearbox + ensemble，领头的来自bungie……

那帝国时代以后怎么办？

引用:

原帖由 RestlessDream 于 2008-9-10 12:22 发表

gearbox + ensemble，领头的来自bungie……

gearbox不是只来了一个技术主管Corrinne Yu吗？

引用:

原帖由 GAYBL 于 2008-9-10 12:26 发表
那帝国时代以后怎么办？

应该是不做了吧。

可惜了……

Kotaku消息，韩国人今天上午去Ensemble宣布的消息。另外分析微软将从PC游戏撤退，注意力100%集中在Xbox系列上。

引用:

原帖由 阿大大染 于 2008-9-10 13:16 发表
Kotaku消息，韩国人今天上午去Ensemble宣布的消息。另外分析微软将从PC游戏撤退，注意力100%集中在Xbox系列上。

不会从PC全面撤退，毕竟DX+Windows几乎就是PC Gaming的代名词。
只是第一方第二方研发将聚焦xb系
MGS作为发行商，pc平台未来的战略个人恶意揣测更多集中在GFW品牌上