Microsoft issued an internal statement on Septemwhich was then leaked to the public. According to multiple independent reports, all non-essential staff have been laid off and remaining staff have been given incentives to remain until the completion of the project. On September 9, 2008, it was announced that Ensemble will be closing after the release of Halo Wars. It was released on Februand sold one million copies in less than a month. They developed this project in conjunction with Big Huge Games, the creators of Rise of Nations.Įnsemble also developed Halo Wars, a real-time strategy game for the Xbox 360 based on the successful Halo franchise. It introduced three Asian civilizations and six minor natives, as well as new gameplay features.

On October 23, 2007, Ensemble released a second, and final expansion to Age of Empires III titled Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties. It was originally set for an Octorelease, but was released later, on October 17, 2006. It included new content, new gameplay elements, a new single-player campaign, and three new native American civilizations. The game has sold over 2 million copies, as of October 2007, and has become the fastest selling game of the series.Īfterward, development began on the first expansion pack to Age of Empires III titled Age of Empires III: The War Chiefs. The lead-up to the game's announcement was a series of teasers on Ensemble's website, culminating in a number of in-game screenshots. The game follows from the end of Age of Empires II, set in times such as the Industrial Age. Their last release was the real-time strategy game called Halo Wars for Xbox 360.Įnsemble released Age of Empires III, on October 18, 2005, in North America. Expansion packs were also released for all their games including two for Age of Empires III.

They also released Age of Mythology, a spin-off from the original series. In addition to game development, Ensemble Studios also made the Genie Game Engine used in Age of Empires, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, and Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds.Įnsemble Studios developed the Age of Empires game series of real-time strategy titles, comprising Age of Empires, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings and Age of Empires III. Ensemble has developed many games including the Age of Empires game series and Halo Wars. Originally founded as an independent developer in 1995, Ensemble Studios was a Microsoft-owned developer from 2001 to 2009, when it was officially disbanded.

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