Microsoft Reaffirms AoE Ownership, Hints At 'Future Potential'

Following Microsoft's recently announced plans to close Halo Wars developer Ensemble Studios, the company's restating its ownership of the Ensemble-developed Age of Empires IP and hinting at future announcements regarding the franchise. "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," wrote a Microsoft rep on the company's official Gamerscore blog. "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." Although Ensemble is the third studio Microsoft's lost following its split with Bungie and the FASA closure, Microsoft yesterday stressed that the Ensemble closure does not represent a move on the company's part away from an investment in development. Ensemble Studios will close after Halo Wars is completed, though its execs plan to form a new, independent organization that will support the game after launch. Microsoft has said it hopes to place employees not joining the new studio within Microsoft Game Studios.