Ensemble Studios

Ensemble Studios at a Glance

If you are browsing PlayPile to find out more about Ensemble Studios, you will see a developer with a clear focus on the real-time strategy genre. This American company, based in Dallas, Texas, released nine games between 1997 and 2016. Eight of these titles were developed for PC, while four reached Mac users. They also had minor releases on PlayStation 2, Dreamcast, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. The studio operated as a developer only and never published its own games under this profile. The output from Ensemble Studios grew over the years before ending abruptly. They released two titles in the 1990s and four more during the 2000s. Their final stretch included three games in the 2010s, which marked their last releases before the studio disbanded in 2009 and closed its doors completely later on. Their portfolio consists almost entirely of strategy games, with eight real-time strategy titles and three simulators. One role-playing game also appears in their list. Quality trends for this developer show a strong start that remained steady but did not reach new heights over time. Eight of their nine games have been rated on IGDB, resulting in an average score of 77 out of 100. Two titles received great ratings above 80, while six others fell into the good range between 60 and 79. There were no mixed or poor scores among the rated titles. Their highest-rated game is Age of Empires from 1997 with a score of 83.6. Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings followed closely with 83.1 in 1999. Later releases maintained decent but lower scores compared to their early work. Age of Mythology scored 78.7 in 2002, and Age of Empires III came in at 78.3 in 2005. By the time they released Halo Wars: Definitive Edition in 2016, the score had dropped to 77.3. Even their remasters like Age of Empires II: HD Edition received a 67.3 rating. The studio was acquired by Microsoft in 2001 and ran as an internal division until its capabilities were officially disbanded in 2009. They developed the Genie Game Engine used for several of their major strategy titles.

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