Ensemble Studios’ last day finally arrived, and I was sad to see it come. We were informed early September that the studio would be shuttered after Halo Wars wraps. It was a definite surreal situation: working on a project through “regular” days for the next four months, knowing that it’s completion will ultimately bring about the studio’s closure.

January ushered in a new state of mind. With work tapering off for most, the reality of the situation began to seep in: Ensemble Studios will shut down. It was a sobering time. But Ensemble was not what Microsoft made of it: a closed studio. It was it’s people, it’s projects, and it’s motto.

The people are great, passionate, talented, and fun. It was a pleasure to become a colleague and friend to these amazing individuals. God willing, everyone will go on to do fantastic work, and I wish them all the best of luck doing so.

I only had the pleasure to be apart of two projects: Age of Empires III: The War Chiefs, and Halo Wars. Age of Empires was the bread and butter to the studio and rightfully so. The Age series of games are amongst the highest rated and grossing of all time. Halo Wars will undoubtedly join that lot in the record books. It is a fantastic game and I see it being able to surpass and easily living up to the hype.

Making great games in a great work environment truly was the motto of the studio. This was a remarkable aspect of Ensemble and its managing staff. They laid the ground work for making Ensemble a fun place to work while producing fun and exciting products. I commend them for adhering to the motto when times were wary.

I thank God for my time at Ensemble, and I pray and hope everyone moves on to an equivalent endeavor.

Thanks for the great years Ensemble: the friends, the games, the atmosphere!