Well not really, but there is a rumor going around about Ensemble closing after the game. For more we go to Talking About Games. Talking About Games - Rumor: Mass layoffs at Ensemble Studios, developer to shut down after Halo Wars ships Rumor: Mass layoffs at Ensemble Studios, developer to shut down after Halo Wars ships Halo Wars, the new RTS prequel to the Master Chief saga, was and still is in my top 5 list for Game of the Show at E3. Ensemble Studios have taken Bungie's universe and with their 13-year real-time strategy knowledge, crafted something that's beyond a simple genre spin-off. Due out in Spring 2009, the Xbox 360-exclusive title is, despite being able to played by the press nowadays, still under a lot of secrecy. Are they unsure about the product they've created? Is Microsoft just "pulling a Halo 3" and keeping their cards close to the chest? The latter is likely, but no one really knows. However, a mysterious development at the studio today sure is raising a few eyebrows ... and rightly so. According to a report from Shacknews, all staff from Ensemble that were not working on Halo Wars have been laid off and the studio is now scheduled to be closed after the game releases. In addition, the employees that are still actively working on the title have been "offered incentives" to remain and see the product out the door. Bwah? At this time, Microsoft have not made any comments on the matter, nor have Ensemble.
Hmmm, I wonder if the financial burden came from developing Halo Wars....hopefully not. Ensemble studios shouldn't have signed up for the game if they couldn't handle it fiscally. At least they're seeing it to the end. It's sad seeing a good gaming company going under....especially when companies like EA puke out crap every few months.
Teehee. "Pulling a Halo 3". It probably was a financial deal rather than being "unsure about the product they've created". Halo 2 was kinda' sad face and Bungie didn't have any questions with it's quality. I did see the sneek peek given to G4 though and the guy showcasing the demo had kind of a "yeah.... please don't make fun of it" tone the whole time. Either way I've never been a big fan of RTS games so I'm not too worried.
It's said that their project 'Halo Wars' is not shutting down, however when it's finished, Ensemble Studios will. All this may not happen though if they rack in lots of money, which I guarantee they will. =)
That is interesting. Hopefully the game will generate enough excitement and press coverage that people buy it and if the rumor is true, the studio won't go out of business.
As said, I'll be sad to hear this happen, if it does. I'm looking forward to Halo Wars just a fraction less than I looked forward to Halo3. I'm appalled to even hear the thought of such a thing, actually. What is obviously a money-ripe franchise couldn't, presumably, hurt company. This is so especially with an already-thriving company such as Ensemble. I believe that one could sell a halfway decent flash version of Halo2's OutSkirts Campaign level and still come out with heavy gross. I'll keep an eye on this, though. Seriously, things like this are a real shame. *tear for ES*
Great, that means this game won't really be that great. They made okay games, but they are a studio that I heard of, so we will lose one of the biggies.
What if this news is just to draw more attention to halo wars. The video games industry is completely evil! All kidding aside its sucks that Ensemble is going to close shop. However, it may not even be for a financial reason. Maybe the people that started the company were like " I really don't like this industry" or " Lets make an RTS off of Halo and make loads of money and then press start, quit, win!"
This is such a shame. It really shows Microsofts view on PC gaming however.... Many people do argue that PC gaming is dying and that might actually become true if more events like this happen. The thing i cannot quite believe is that Age of Empires is over!!! If there is a new one it just will not be the same. Much like when Westwood was taken over. This was definately unexpected; poor Ensemble.
I hope this rumor stays a rumor; I hate seeing good dev studios close down. I'm still in shock over the loss of Clover.
Man that will suck if Halo Wars is a success... I, for one, am not too excited about Halo Wars because I was expecting a FPS... It looks kind of cheesy as well....
what a shame, i havent bought any of their games, but how would like to be making a game, and then ur just about to publish it, and then you hear that even afterward, youll be out of a job. but if you dont produce well, then of course youll be let go. sux.
I honestly don't understand what the big deal is about this game. Correct me if I am mistaken, but is not command and conquer, among many other similar games, basically the same thing with just a different skin (models, background story, and scenery)? A year or two ago, I would never, ever think that bungie would allow a spin off of halo that was not first person to be made. Now it just seems like they are trying to wring the towel dry. I'm not saying that it won't be a good game, but is the hype just because it's another halo game? Maybe part of the reason why they are (if your info is correct) going to be let go is because of this. The ride was amazing, but now the coaster has basically lost it's momentum.