Ensemble Shutting down

[Deepcee]

This one is out of the blue

Sounds like the Borg doing a bit of house cleaning.
Confirmed: Microsoft closing Ensemble - News at GameSpot

so Halo Wars not affected huh? hmmmm.....

 

[satyanjoy]

Ensemble > Age Of Empire 2-- the most beloved game i ever played so far.. will miss a lot..M$ gone crazy again

 

[kris30]

i think microsoft game x studios will be creating srategy games in the future

 

[Deepcee]

i think microsoft game x studios will be creating srategy games in the future

Their statement does say they would be placed in a new studio. I'm guessing new meaning....brand new.

 

[Ck Nish]

Their statement does say they would be placed in a new studio

Sounds like they're just trimming ES.

 

[Deepcee]

True...The top guys have decided to start up another studio an continue supporting Halo Wars. Other not associated with Halo Wars have already been laid off.

Doesn't make sense to me though.

 

[Ck Nish]

No, see. Sometimes, teams get excessive employees during heavy designing periods. These additional employees aren't really required during slower periods. Dissolving and forming a new team is seen as a polite way of laying off huge amounts of staff workers. It happens quite often.

 

[Deepcee]

After a bit more reading it just looks like they prefer a name change an getting rid of some dead fish.

Why didn't they do that by just keeping the studio name an cutting the guys they didn't need?
Thats what I'm wondering...