Ensemble Studios
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Ensemble Studios is a Microsoft-owned company that has developed many computer games, including the famous Age of Empires series.
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Overview
The company was founded in 1995 in Dallas by Tony Goodman; his brother, Rick Goodman, and Bruce Shelley. After 2 years, it released its first game, Age of Empires. In May 2001, Microsoft acquired the company. Currently, the company employs around 60 people, including Bruce Shelley and Sandy Petersen.
Ensemble is notable for its playtesting procedures: everyone at the company is required to test the current product at least once a week.
The company has a varied employee background. Its workers range from high school graduates to PhDs.
Games
The company is the developer of the famous games Age of Empires series, composed by Age of Empires, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, the recent Age of Mythology, as well as expansion packs to those games.
It is currently working on Age of Empires III, to be released in the second half of 2005. This follows on from the end of Age of Empires II, set in times such as the Industrial Age. The lead-up to the game's announcement was a series of teasers on Ensemble's website, culminating in a number of in-game screenshots.
Miscellaneous
Ensemble Studios occupies the top two floors of its building in Dallas. According to Sandy Petersen at the Age of Kings Heaven website, approximately 10% of the company's employees are parents.
Mike McCart, the company's webmaster, created the HeavenGames (then known as HeavenWeb) fan site prior to being hired by ES.
External links
- Ensemble Studios site (http://www.ensemblestudios.com)
- Microsoft site (http://www.microsoft.com)
- 'Ask Sandy' threads (http://aok.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/aokcgi/display.cgi?action=t&number=3&dp=0&s_name=&s_subject=ask+sandy)fi:Ensemble Studios