What started as another one of those rumors within the span of a day became a confirmed truth: following the release of the upcoming Halo Wars RTS game for the Xbox 360 console, Ensemble Studios, known for the Age of Empires RTS series of games for Windows, will be shuttered. A new studio, like Ensemble part of Microsoft Games Studios, will be formed to support Halo Wars. Employees releated to Halo Wars will be offered spots in the new studio; those currently working on the project have been offered extra incentives to continue working on it through release. Those not directly related to Halo Wars are being let go.

This is being called a “fiscal move” designed to “grow” the company’s game efforts.

This is a strange move on many levels, and deserves examination in a wider context.

If the staff working on projects unrelated to Halo Wars formed a significant portion of the studio’s payroll, then removing them would indeed make the studio less expensive. However, paying incentives to keep the Halo Wars staff makes them more expensive than they are currently, and also negatively impacts morale. So unless those employees were more numerous or more expensive, those gains are long-term and not short term; and that assumes that they were not working on projects that were going to generate revenue, since that potential revenue is now lost.

The timing of the news is also interesting. There’s never a good time for someone to hear that they’ve been fired or laid off, but the gaming press has covered several studio shutterings that occurred right after a game’s release; perhaps Microsoft considered that announcing the closure nearer to Halo Wars’ actual release date might negatively impact the game’s sales, and so elected to do it earlier. Once people have been given their pink slips they can hardly be expected to keep entirely silent, especially with friends in the industry, so there was no way to keep the closure secret for any length of time; hence the quick confirmation.

I’ve seen several posters on various message boards wonder aloud why Microsoft didn’t just buy Ensemble. That’s just it. Microsoft didn’t have to buy Ensemble. They already owned them. Microsoft’s high profile studio acquisitions now have a decidedly checkered history. FASA stumbled and was shuttered. Rare tried to make a shooter to appeal to the Xbox demographic and missed the mark, even though it had the field at launch nearly to itself. Their other title, Kameo, was more in line with titles from their Nintendo days, but also received a mixed reaction. Viva Pinata looks like their strongest Xbox 360 title, but it also sits in a niche by itself amongst sports games and shooters.

Then there’s Bungie; the unexpected blockbuster that spawned a hit trilogy and a staggering array of related merchandise, propelling the studio from its position as a critically acclaimed Macintosh developer with occasional financial problems to a mass market juggernaut.

Then they walked out the door, leaving Microsoft with the franchise and industry watchers scratching their heads. The goose who laid the golden egg left one last present, left the farm to hang out its own shingle, and prompty announced it would keep supporting and enhancing the eggs, but that new and as-yet-unannounced golden items would be coming in the future. This kind of thing doesn’t happen every day.

This might have convinced Microsoft that the way to continue to build its Xbox empire isn’t to acquire good independent developers, treat them nicely, let them keep their own corporate culture, and let them do their own thing, because ultimately when you do that, if they’re successful enough they’ll just leave. If they keep making games for your platform that’s good, but suddenly you’re getting only the publisher’s take instead of the whole enchilada; and ultimately that independent studio might decide to develop for other platforms, and you’ve lost exclusivity with your premier developer. In short it makes the entire experience with Bungie look much like what I thought it was at the start: not the acqusition of a studio but the acquisition of the Halo property. Despite all the hot air about Bungie’s talent and innovation, what Microsoft wanted, and what they ultimately got and had to keep– and ended up acquiring on the cheap compared to developers like Lionhead– was Halo.

Now Ensemble Studios is feeling the repercussions of Bungie’s independence. The independent identity of the studio Microsoft bought, Ensemble, is being destroyed, to be replaced by a Halo Wars-focused division of MGS that will help monetize the property that Microsoft was able to rescue from the Bungie departure. It is largely a symbolic move; those people worked for Microsoft before and they still will. What is being removed is the idea of that group as something separate from Microsoft; the knowledge of their history before Microsoft, and the kernel of the idea that just as there was life before Microsoft, there might be life after Microsoft. When the studio is a group just part of a larger team, with a name assigned to them that bears no relation to the studio Microsoft purchased, the risk of those people going independent is minimized.

UPDATE: The above was written before I saw notes at Kotaku that indicate that while MS retains ownership of Halo and of Age of Empires, the new studio that is replacing Ensemble will, in fact, be independent of Microsoft, as Bungie is. This ends up painting a picture in which rather than trying to prevent further defections from MGS, what it in fact is doing is divesting itself of game development and becoming more of a pure publisher– letting independent companies bear the costs of financing and developing the games.

In the end, the real casualties seem to be Ensemble’s PC developers. With Starcraft 2 looming in the future of RTS games for Windows and Microsoft focused squarely on building and expanding the Halo property and continuing to add genres to the Xbox 360’s repertoire, there was no room for Age of Empires. No room for the idea of Ensemble Studios, a group that used to make its own decisions and might again someday.

I wonder what is going through Peter Molyneux‘s mind right about now?

Hey Everyone! Podtacular’s Recreation Clan recently played a fun match against the guys over at C1nder.

C1nder is the remnants of many different clans, come together to create a more perfect version of the past. Mostly made up of miscreants, degenerates, and krankydoughnuts we seek a better vision of gaming. They aim to make new friends in the Halo Community and have fun.

And boy did we do just that! Click for a full write up.

Game 1: Capture the Flag on Avalanche
Quote: “Sh*t, they have that uh…Flying Thing”
MVP: Unreal Chief

They knew what they were doing when they picked this map. With Podtacular’s roster consisting of mostly “MLG Friendly” people, like myself, Woooof, Captain Planet, and Prodigy, we didn’t know what to do. We grabbed our rockets, sniper, and warthog and charged to the enemy base!

Too bad we didn’t know how vehicles worked, let alone their names. Yes, they had control of “The Big Flying Thing” for almost the whole game, which pretty much led to our demise. While Unreal Cheif and Storm Pheonix worked together in the Wraith the rest of us couldn’t get our act together.

Even when we get the flag into a vehicle it seemed like C1nder knew how do destroy it. With us getting the flag to our side, practically on our front mancannon they managed to return it.

C1nder Wins, 3-0

Gameplay:
Woof’s PoV

Game 2: One Bomb on Last Resort
Quote: “Be very, very quite”
MVP: KBC

After that hard spanking by C1nder we showed them how to handle the bomb. With a whole ton of weapons and vehicles off the start we were ready to pwn.

Podtacular started off on Defense, with players charging Splazer and Sniper they quickly moved back into the base and held off the enemy. With 30 seconds remaining C1nder made their charge.

With a fully loaded warthog keeping us occupied they moved the bomb into the base by foot through the front doors. Nearly to the bomb plant spot, their bomb carrier was taken out by KBC. This held them for a few seconds when a fellow member jumped down from the top level of the factory and planted the bomb, but he didn’t stand a chance. With Woof taking the enemy out and three members of Podtacular squatting over the bomb it was successfully returned.

With the bomb back at the beach C1nder made their final horah and came screaming through our base with the bomb on a Mongoose but were stopped dead in their tracks by the Rec Clan. The round was over, and now it was time for Podtacular to show them what they could do.

When their first approach of putting the bomb in a warthog and rushing the crap out of C1nder didn’t work KBC decided to go all tactical on their butts. With 30 seconds remaining KBC successfully crouch walked into their base and planted the bomb while the remaining members of Podtacular kept them out of their base. Bomb Detonated!

Now its C1nders chance to tie things up. They brought the bomb through the pillars and attempted to flank us but we stopped their lone warrior and were able to return it.

Now with 30 seconds remaining they bring a fully loaded warthog into our base, their bomb guys arms the bomb and grenades, brute shots, an Assault Rifle bullets begin to explode from everywhere. Everyone rushes to disarm the bomb and do it in the nick of time. Wooh, revealed. Oh wait…

Yes, C1nder isn’t done yet, they fill another warthog and rush into our base but they don’t have enough man power to stop us. We successfully disarm the bomb for the second time in one minute.

Podtacular Wins! 1-0

Gameplay
Woof’s PoV
Jaba’s PoV

Bungie said the game was corrupt so no link or carnage report 🙁

Game 3: Team Slayer on Valhalla
Quote: “Control the Top!”
MVP: Woof

Finally, a Slayer Game. Podtacular raced to control the top of the hill, with KBC flying around in the banshee and Captain Planet picking people off we had a good lead throughout the game.

Within the first ten seconds PoopInABasket had taken out their Banshee and have control of both Snipers. C1nder did what they do best though, control the Vehicles. At one point they had two wraiths and a warthog towering over us.

In the last few minutes we were exchanging the lead but they were able to pull it out with a warthog and Banchee pounding bullets into us.

C1nder Wins, 100-91

Game 4: Team BRs on The Pit
Quote: “Rush!!”
MVP: Jaba

Finally, something we’re used to. With Podtacular’s team being huge slayers BRs and The Pit was a great combination. There’s not much to say about this game. We just went in with a positive mindset and did our thing. With awesome team shoting and good aggression we were able to pull out a victory.

Be sure to check out Jaba’s sweet Overkill 😉

Podtacular Wins, 100-84

Gameplay:
Woof’s PoV
Jaba’s PoV

Game 4: Team Slayer on Avalanche
Quote: “Damn it. More vehicles”
MVP: Captain Planet

The guys at C1nder are the smartest competitors we’ve seen. After they completely destroy us on CTF on Avalanche they come back and hit us with another round. They knew we didn’t know the difference between a Wraith and a Ghost (Except for our BTB Veteran Unreal Chief) and they used it to their advantage.

From the beginning they controlled the Lazer, a Warthog, and their Hornet and would not get out of our base. We were able to destroy their vehicles and get out of our base at one point but were soon taken back into our base. At least Captain Planet knew that his BR bullets were nothing compared to their artillery and took out their grounds man. Too bad we couldn’t kill that sniper.

C1nder Wins, 100-71

Gameplay:
Woof’s PoV

The outcome wasn’t what we wanted but we left the lobby with our heads high. We got to play with a great group of gamers and had a fun Sunday Afternoon.

Thanks C1nder, expect a rematch sometime soon!

Also, please thank Woof for creating a Podtacular Vimeo Group for all of our Clan Match Footage. All of Podtacular’s Clan Match footage will be posted there.