Ensemble Studios founder Tony Goodman claims Bungie never wanted strategy game to be made; project never meant to be a Halo game at all. Full Story

GDC Online 2010: Writer-design director Joseph Staten on what he has learned from 10 years in the sci-fi shooter universe, how the studio walked away, and what he wants to accomplish with the upcoming Bungie-Activision project. Full Story

Microsoft's franchise-focused 343 Industries has stepped up hiring for the Reach follow-up, including several senior positions. Full Story

Suburban Seattle shop will remain independent, develop wholly owned new IP exclusively for Call of Duty publisher through 2020 on "all platforms" Microsoft retains Halo ownership; Sony says PS3 edition will be "Halo on steroids." Full Story

Ex-Ensemble developer Dusty Monk says Ensemble Studios spent three years developing a WOW killer--before Microsoft suddenly pulled the plug. Full Story

Xbox Live's all-Halo channel launches with avatar awards, open to all until Nov. 26; Halo Legends preview coming Sat.; combined Halo 3: ODST US/UK/Japan sales hit 1.85M. Full Story

[UPDATE 2] At Comic-Con, filmmaker reveals his Microsoft collaboration "collapsed" when film project fell apart in 2006; manager Ken Kamins says final fate was sealed in January; Microsoft finally concedes game "on hold." Full Story

District 9 and live-action short director Neil Blomkamp said he "probably wouldn't do Halo if it was offered" due to lingering bitterness over project's unraveling. Full Story

The Digital Britain report contained dire warnings about the state of the British game industry--but also laid out plans for how to get things back on track. Full Story

Capcom's PS3/360 zombie apocalypse a big hit despite US game-industry nosedive; Halo Wars and Pokemon score, GTA: Chinatown Wars doesn't break top 10. Full Story

Third independent studio emerges in wake of Microsoft's closure of Halo Wars developer; first game to be a futuristic online game. Full Story

Halo Wars' winning streak continues; Wii Fit overtakes Killzone 2 in sales. Full Story

Ensemble's swan song leads a murderer's row of new releases including multiple MLB games, Empire: Total War, HAWX, and Sonic and the Black Knight. Full Story

Following Robot Entertainment reveal, more Age of Empires vets set up new Dallas, Texas-based shop. Full Story

Tony Goodman and other veterans of Age of Empires studio launch placeholder Web site for new development house. Full Story

Software giant letting go of 1,400 employees today after lower-than-expected $4.17 billion in quarterly profit; Xbox division's income rises 14% to $3.18 billion. Full Story

Ensemble's sci-fi RTS swan song gets slightly delayed marching orders; Xbox 360-exclusive arrives in Europe Feb. 27, Japan Feb. 26. Full Story

Release window and collector's edition details revealed for Ensemble's swan song real-time strategy game. Full Story

Age of Empires creator Bruce Shelley says team was shocked, disappointed; adds he won't be working at upstart offshoot. Full Story

360 marketing chief exits as Microsoft Game Studios head moves on to "strategic" biz dev; MGS UK GM taking over first-party pub's global operations; work on Forza and Peter Jackson's Halo proceeding; no major hires or cuts planned. Full Story

GameSpot asks industry illuminati to predict whether the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, or Wii will emerge as the holiday victor, and which will go on to be the ultimate winner in this generation of the console race. Full Story

Now-independent studio tells Develop magazine its dev teams are "running full-speed" on new projects, as planned. Full Story

Developer of Age of Empires series thinks striking a balance between appealing to hardcore and casual gamers was key to success, hinted at space-based installment for franchise. Full Story

Microsoft's Bringing It Home campaign concludes on day three of trade show; GHII tracks, game demos highlight week's offerings. Full Story

Microsoft's popular RTS will get Asian Dynasties add-on this fall; Big Huge Games taking dev reins from Ensemble. Full Story

World of Warcraft and its Burning Crusade expansion top the charts as The Sims 2 continues racking up sales. Full Story

NPD numbers show slight growth in US retail sales of PC games for the year, figures still down from 2004. Full Story

The Sims 2: Pets expansion takes the top spot on a list dominated by recent releases. Full Story

The public award three trophies each to Nintendo and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion; Editors' Choice is BAFTA winner Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter. Full Story

Fox, Universal back out of Peter Jackson-produced adaptation of Bungie-developed game phenomenon. Full Story

The author of Halo novels The Fall of Reach and Ghosts of Onyx talks about X06 news and working with Cliffy B on Gears of War. Full Story

Trial of Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs downloadable from GameSpot now; first two missions playable as Iroquois or Germans. Full Story

Microsoft continues Bringing it Home promotion on first day of X06; more than a dozen trailers and Halo Wars theme, gamerpics also offered. Full Story

Wildly popular FPS franchise spawns RTS spin-off; Splinter Cell 5 to be PC, 360 exclusive; Assassin's Creed demo'd. Full Story

Once again, the weekly NPD numbers are topped by World of Warcraft, the Sims 2 and...Nancy Drew? Full Story

After Cars' weeklong 'Adventure' at the top, Blizzard's MMORPG battering ram known as World of Warcraft knocks the game adaptation from the No. 1 position. Full Story

Oblivion retakes the sales throne, Heroes of Might & Magic V debuts in third, Rise of Nations slides to eighth. Full Story

Sims 2 add-on retakes top slot from Guild Wars Factions; Rise of Legends gives solid debut, Oblivion, GRAW, WOW all remain players. Full Story

The Sims 2: Family Fun Stuff stays put on top, followed by Oblivion, Age of Empires III, and...more Sims! Full Story

Microsoft-owned studio confirms rumors of its massively multiplayer title--and reveals a console real-time strategy game is in the works. Full Story

Ensemble's empire-building PC game is fastest selling of franchise; new contest awards speedy gamers with high-end PC. Full Story

Madden tackles the holidays, reinforced by Battlefront II and Need for Speed Most Wanted; Age of Empires III and Call of Duty 2 conquer PC charts. Full Story

SOCOM, Madden, NBA Live, and Grand Theft Auto dominate the console charts, while PC gamers' cups runneth over with quality titles. Full Story

Ensemble's latest offering in the empire-building franchise marches into stores October 18. Full Story

Special packaging of upcoming strategy game includes art book, making-of DVD, poster, and soundtrack CD. Full Story

Ensemble Studios is looking for an "experienced server architect to assist in creating a world-class massively multiplayer game." Full Story

Also this week: Half-Life 2 co-op and Age of Empires III. Full Story

Seven-month season to dish out over $75,000 for nine games; Web site introduces new feedback and challenging systems. Full Story

RTS classics come in a single package which is only available at select locations. Full Story

Yahoo Games announces a deal with Microsoft Game Studios that will see 15 new titles added to the Yahoo Games on Demand service. Full Story

The winners of the recent US finals event will head to a world finals event in Korea this October. Full Story

Ensemble Studios announces an expansion pack for its popular RTS that will add a fourth faction, new units, and new scenarios. Full Story

Qualifying rounds for the World Cyber Games will start soon at CompUSA stores across the country. Full Story