The Age of Empires III: Complete Collection announced

Microsoft Game Studios today announced that a new Age of Empires III compilation package is coming to retail nationwide. Dubbed Age of Empires III: Complete Collection, the package includes the original game plus two expansion packs, Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties and Age of Empires III: War Chiefs, developed collaboratively by Big Huge Games and Ensemble Studios for the PC.

The Age of Empires III: Complete Collection will be offered at the estimated retail price of $49.95 (€54.99). It kind of makes me sad to think that the next Age of Empires game definitely won’t be developed by either Ensemble Studios (who have been broken up into different little start-ups) or Big Huge Games (purchased by 38 Studios).

Tony Goodman Forms Robot Entertainment

Tony Goodman , co-founder of Ensemble Studios, and several other former Ensemble Employees have formed a new studio called Robot Entertainment, according to a report in Gamasutra. Ensemble, prior to its closing promised that it would return under a different moniker to develop new properties and to continue supporting the last game it worked on for Microsoft - Halo Wars. We do not yet know if this is the studio that will continue to support Halo Wars or not (Ensemble had said it would form two new studios in 2009), but we’re glad to see Goodman and his crew back where they belong - free from corporate oversight.

Hopefully this will give the artists formerly known as Ensemble the freedom to create the kinds of games they want - whatever they are. The only sad part is that Robot no longer has access to the Age of Empires of Age of Mythology franchises - unless Microsoft decides to taps them to develop new games later on down the road.

Age of Empires: Mythologies Ships

THQ has released Age of Empires: Mythologies, a portable game inspired by the real-time strategy game series originally created by Ensemble. Obviously this hand held game is a remarkably different in scope and focus; Age of Empires: Mythologies features epic turn-based combat and fast-paced multiplayer skirmishes between Greek, Egyptian and Norse civilizations. For the first time in the series’ history, players will control legendary heroes, battle mythical beasts and call upon the divine power of gods.

If the theme sound familiar; that is because it is loosely based on age of Mythology as well. That game offered the same kinds of epic settings, races and mythological creatures. Age of Empires: Mythologies is rated “E10+” and is now available for the suggested retail price of $29.99.

Report: Ensemble Was Working on Halo MMO

It has been revealed that Ensemble was working on a massively multiplayer game set in the Halo universe - in addition to working on the upcoming real-time strategy game Halo Wars. Besides a mountain of screenshots that show soldiers and vehicles that are most definitely from Halo, a detailed report on Gamasutra puts all the puzzles pieces together to make the case that the game was once a glint in some Microsoft executive’s eye. That glint has vanished, to be replaced by cynicism and doubt.

Microsoft has had a terrible track record with bringing MMO’s to the Xbox 360. The company has killed every MMO project that has been developed under its watchful eye, so it should come as no shock that Ensemble’s Halo MMO project got the axe and the company along with it. It’s tough crowd up in Redmond for sure. Of course, just because Ensemble is gone does not mean that this secret project isn’t still being developed by one of Microsoft’s internal teams. It is certainly doubtful, but possible.

Some further evidence are these (we assume) prototype screenshots from the game. We have contacted to Microsoft for a response but as of this writing they have remained silent.

Source: Gamasutra

Microsoft: We Still Own Age of Empires

File this one under DUH. Microsoft’s GamerScore Blog offers an assurance from the company that they still own the Age of Empires franchise and it is not going anywhere. What it does not tell us is who will be at the helm of this franchise when the next game in the series is revealed. We suspect it will be Big Huge Games or whatever new entity the artist formerly known as Ensemble create. Anyway, here is the post, verbatim:

As many of you have heard, Ensemble Studios will be closing after Halo Wars is complete. If you’re a PC gamer, you’ve likely played some version of Age of Empires somewhere along the line. I want to reassure you that Microsoft will still own the Age of Empires intellectual property. As a company, we’re very excited about the future potential for Age of Empires, and as a PC gamer I’m looking forward to what that future holds. Stay tuned.

Source: GamerScore Blog

Ensemble Closing, But Not The End

Microsoft has confirmed that Ensemble will be shut down. Ensemble may be closing but the company’s top executives plan to form a new studio and will continue to support Halo Wars and work on future games for Microsoft Game Studios. While it may or may not have been MGS’ decision to close the studio, it is certain that this gives ensemble the independence that it used to have prior to be acquired by Microsoft in 2001.

“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 to GameSpot. “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.”

Microsoft went on to say that closing the studio behind the Age of Empires franchise was a “fiscally rooted decision,” and that it may find jobs for developers displaced by the studio closure.

While Ensemble may soldier on under a different name, it walks away from this deal without its key franchises like Age of Empires and Age of Mythology - which are now owned by MGS. I hope that Ensemble will continue to work on future titles in those popular RTS franchises.

Source: GameSpot

Rumor: Ensemble to Close After Halo Wars

Though it sounds highly unlikely, the prevailing rumor today is that Ensemble Studios will be shut down after the development of Halo Wars is complete. According to a Shacknews report citing anonymous sources, the company is set to close after Halo Wars is done and staff at Ensemble that aren’t working on that game have been laid off. The report says that the team working on Halo Wars has been given extra incentives to stay on board until the game is done.

While this all sounds highly unlikely stranger things have happened in this industry. Why would Microsoft shut down a studio that has been relatively successful before and after it was acquired? The Age of Empires series of games, which have been released on the PC, Mac and DS (by THQ) have made millions of dollars for Microsoft. Perhaps Ensemble, like Bungie is getting ready to become an independent studio again, much like Bungie did recently.

Whatever the truth is, we have asked both Ensemble and Microsoft for an official response. More on this story as it develops.

Source: Shacknews