Microsoft killed Ensemble Studios today. ES, makers of the Age of Empires franchise will be no more, after their release of Halo Wars. This should be no surprise. Ensemble has been riding the same franchise for a while now, and recently was told to make the very generic RTS 360 exclusive, Halo Wars. EA made the same step in 2003 and shut down the C&C developer Westwood studios. So this is the death of the PC RTS, and Microsoft only cares about X360 stuff, right? Well, not really. Just this season, we're going to get the third C&C Red Alert, and its made by, yep EA. The same studio that killed Westwood. In today's business world, its all about consolidation.
In addition, we still have: Blizzard, creators of Starcraft and Warcraft; Gas Powered Games,
makers of Supreme Commander and Total Annihilation; and Relic, creators of Dawn of War and Company of Heroes. RTS on PC is alive and well.
Honestly, the Age series was beginning to feel old and behind the bar. The closing will open the doors for good talent to join existing companies, or to create their own, now that their not limited by Microsoft.
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