Halo Wars: A Top Video Game Designer Moves From One Local Company to Another

It's been more than a year since Microsoft shuttered Dallas-based Ensemble Studios, which was responsible for, among others, such top-selling titles as Age of Empires, Age of Mythology and Halo Wars for Xbox 360. From that wreckage emerged two offshoots, both locally HQ'd: Robot Entertainment and Bonfire Studios, neither of...

By Robert Wilonsky

December 16, 2009

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It's been more than a year since Microsoft shuttered Dallas-based Ensemble Studios, which was responsible for, among others, such top-selling titles as Age of Empires, Age of Mythology and Halo Wars for Xbox 360. From that wreckage emerged two offshoots, both locally HQ'd: Robot Entertainment and Bonfire Studios, neither of which have released anything yet ... except press release. Like today's: Bonfire announced that it has brought on board as lead designer Dave Pottinger, who'd been Ensemble's director of technology and the man responsible, more or less, for Age of Empires and Halo Wars.

Pottinger was rather outspoken about Microsoft's move back in November of '08. And, till recently, he'd also been at Robot. Matter of fact, today's announcement makes official a rumor that started spreading through the video-game development community last month.

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