Publisher Microsoft today revealed the Limited Collector's Edition version of Halo Wars (360), the final strategy game from the soon-to-be-closed Ensemble Studios.

Arriving in February and priced at $79.99--$20 more than the $59.99 standard edition--the Halo Wars LCE will sport a snazzy metal case and the following bonuses: Read more »

Microsoft has released a new batch of gameplay footage from Ensemble's RTS Halo Wars.

The video, narrated by lead designer Graeme Devine, offers the first Halo Wars glimpse of everyone's favorite alien horde, the Flood.

Halo Wars is expected to be released January 21 on Xbox 360. Read more »

New screenshots of Ensemble's Halo-themed Xbox 360 strategy game have arrived, offering a glimpse of an UNSC base and two scenarios from the campaign mode.

In addition to the new shots, developer Ensemble, which will close after the completion of Halo Wars, has clarified that the game is now due out in early 2009, instead of the vague "first half of 2009" estimate that was provided during E3. Read more »

Microsoft has released a new Halo Wars cinematic trailer. The short clip introduces the main characters of the story, and teases fans with a bit of the prequel's plot.

Halo Wars, a real-time strategy title by doomed developer Ensemble Studios, is expected to be released on Xbox 360 within the first half of 2009.

Ensemble senior designer Bruce Shelley has posted a lengthy blog on the Ensemble site describing the conditions surrounding the closing of the studio working on Halo Wars (X360) for owner Microsoft.Noting that everyone at the company was "shocked" when the news broke, Shelley explains the reasons for the closing--as he got them from Microsoft--and tells of the fates of Ensemble's employees, but not without a lament for a studio that made all the right moves and got the axe anyway.

Shelley's explanation for the closing is in line with Microsoft's: a business decision entirely. "First, they want to divert the headcount tied up in ES [Ensemble Studios] and the costs that are expected to be required to run ES for the next few years into other projects. Second, it sounded like it cost more to run ES on a per person basis than other first party studios (Rare, Lionhead, Forza, Flight Sim) putting us at a disadvantage. ... And third, games those studios are expected to deliver in the next few years are expected to be more strategic and profitable to the company than anything we would be finishing after Halo Wars." Read more »

Confirming a story broken by Shacknews, Microsoft now says that it will shut down developer Ensemble Studios (Age of Empires) following the end of work on the company's upcoming RTS Halo Wars.

Microsoft called the planned closure a "fiscally-rooted" decision, while noting that a core Ensemble team will go on to form a new studio to provide support for Halo Wars and work on fresh projects. Though not all employees will be transferred to the new studio, Microsoft plans to find other jobs for as many workers as possible. Read more »

Update: Microsoft has confirmed its plans to close Ensemble.

Original Story: Shacknews has learned via multiple independent reports that developer Ensemble Studios (Age of Empires) will shut down operation following the release of its upcoming title Halo Wars.

According to sources, employees not associated with Halo Wars have been laid off today. Those attached to Halo Wars have been offered incentives to stay on the project until completion. Read more »

While the 2008 Leipzig Games Convention is now over, that hasn't stopped Microsoft from sending over some Leipzig-branded screenshots of Ensemble Studios' Xbox 360-exclusive RTS effort Halo Wars, which is slated to arrive in the first half of 2009.

When I saw Halo Wars at last year's E3, the Ensemble-developed RTS prequel certainly looked impressive, though I couldn't say much about the game's fabled control scheme.

The entire game hinges on the success of its control scheme, on a player's ability to quickly zoom across a battlefield and issue commands to an entire army. That's really easy to do with a mouse and keyboard, not so much with an Xbox 360 controller. Read more »

Microsoft just confirmed with Shacknews that Ensemble Studios' Halo-based strategy game Halo Wars is delayed until the first half of 2009. Though no release date was ever officially announced, the game had been expected to arrive later this year.According to a rep from Ensemble, the game was delayed for additional control and balancing polish, and to avoid the crowded holiday season.

Check back with us later for impressions of the game.

In accordance with today's outpouring of announcements, demonstrations and big reveals at Microsoft's E3 press conference, the company has released several new screenshots of the titles included in today's presentation.

Gears of War 2

Read more »

With Halo Wars set to make its playable debut at next week's E3

conference, Ensemble Studios has issued a few new screenshots from the Xbox 360-only RTS title.

Read more »

Age of Empires creator Ensemble Studios has released several new screenshots from Halo Wars, its Xbox 360-only stab at a Halo-themed real-time strategy effort.

Expected to arrive later this year, Halo Wars will be on display at this year's E3 Media & Business Summit, which runs from July 14-17. Check back then to see how the title has fared since last year's optimistic showing.

New details from Ensemble Studios' real-time strategy title Halo Wars (360) have surfaced in the latest issue of gaming magazine GamePro.

The preview reconfirmed the existence of two-player online cooperative play for Halo Wars' story-driven campaign mode, as initially revealed at the time of the title's original announcement. The game is also expected to support six players in multiplayer matchups over Xbox Live. Read more »

Age of Empires developer Ensemble Studio wants you to remember that its Halo-themed RTS is due out on Xbox 360 at some point this year, so it has provided a few new screenshots.

For more details on Halo Wars, check out our optimistic first impressions.