Microsoft Game Studios

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Microsoft Game Studios (MGS), branded with current logo and moniker in 2002 (formerly the Microsoft Game Division), is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp. which develops and publishes video games for Windows-based PCs and the Xbox and Xbox 360 video game consoles. MGS publishes games for several Microsoft-owned first-party developers, including Bungie Studios and Rare Ltd.. MGS also publishes games created by third-party developers, such as Bioware and Bizarre Creations.

In August 2002, MGS acquired Rare from Nintendo and the Stamper brothers, who owned 49% and 51% of the company respectively. Since that time, it has been rumored that Microsoft is trying to acquire Japanese game development companies like Sega, Namco, Square Enix (prior to Sony's purchase of stock), and even Nintendo. The reason given is that it would help them break into the notoriously fickle market where Western games have never been successful, and where the Xbox and Xbox360 platforms overall have experienced great success in North America and Europe, but very little in Japan and elsewhere.

List of in-house studios

• Bungie - Halo series, Myth series, Marathon series
• Ensemble - Age of Empires series
• FASA - Shadowrun, Crimson Skies, Mechassault series, Mechwarrior series.
• Lionhead - Black & White series, The Movies, Fable series.
• Rare - Perfect Dark series, Kameo, Killer Instinct, Banjo series
• Feel Plus - This studio was set up specifically to help Mistwalker in the development of Lost Odyssey.
• [Aces Game Studio] - Combat flight Simulator series and Flight Simulator series

Games released under the MGS brand

This list of games is sorted by platform and includes games published by Microsoft. For those games not developed under the Microsoft name, the developer is noted after the game's release date.

PC

• Age of Empires (October 15, 1997) — Ensemble Studios
• * (November 5, 1998) — Ensemble Studios
• (August 24, 1999) — Ensemble Studios
• (October 16, 1999) — Ensemble Studios
• * (August 25, 2000) — Ensemble Studios
• Age of Empires III (October 18, 2005) — Ensemble Studios
• * (Fall 2006) — Ensemble Studios
• Age of Empires III Collector's Edition (October 18, 2005) — Ensemble Studios
• Age of Mythology (October 31, 2002) — Ensemble Studios
• * (September 30, 2003) — Ensemble Studios
• Age of Mythology Gold Edition (June 30, 2004) — Ensemble Studios
• Allegiance (March 16, 2000)
• Asheron's Call (December 1, 1999) — Turbine, Inc.
• Asheron's Call 2
• Chip's Challenge (1989)
• Close Combat (1996) — Atomic Games
• (1997) — Atomic Games
• (1998) — Atomic Games
• Combat Flight Simulator: WWII Europe Series (1998)
• Combat Flight Simulator 2: WWII Pacific Theater (2000)
• Combat Flight Simulator 3 (2002)
• Dungeon Siege (2002) — Gas Powered Games
• (2003) — Gas Powered Games
• Dungeon Siege II (2005) — Gas Powered Games
• Freelancer (2003) — Digital Anvil
• Fighter Ace (December 31, 1997)
• Fury3 (June 24, 1996)
• (2003) — Bungie Studios
• Impossible Creatures (2003) — Relic Entertainment
• * (2003) — Relic Entertainment
• (2003) — Ensemble Studios
• Links 2003 (2002) — Indie Built
• (2003)
• Links Championship Edition (2003)
• Links LS Classic (?) — Indie Built
• MechCollection (?)
• MechCommander 2 (2001)
• (2000)
• * (2001) — Cyberlore Studios
• * (2002) — Cyberlore Studios / FASA Interactive
• * (2002) — Cyberlore Studios / FASA Interactive
• * (2002) — Cyberlore Studios
• Microsoft Baseball 2000 (1999)
• Microsoft Baseball 2001 (2000)
• (December 31, 1997)
• Microsoft Flight Simulator '95 (1996)
• Microsoft Flight Simulator '98 (1997)
• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 (1999)
• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 (2001)
• (2003)
• Microsoft Golf (June 1, 1995)
• Microsoft Golf Version 3.0 (December 12, 1996)
• Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition (June 16, 1998)
• Microsoft Soccer (December 12, 1996)
• Midtown Madness (1999) — Angel Studios
• Midtown Madness 2 (2000) — Angel Studios
• Monster Truck Madness (1996) — Terminal Reality
• Monster Truck Madness 2 (1998) — Terminal Reality
• Motocross Madness (1998) — Rainbow Studios
• Motocross Madness 2 (2000) — Rainbow Studios
• Mythica (cancelled)
• NBA Full Court Press (March 30, 1998)
• Racing Madness 2 (?)
• RalliSport Challenge (2002) — Digital Illusions CE
• Return of Arcade Anniversary Edition (1997) — Namco
• Rise of Nations (2003) — Big Huge Games
• * (2004) — Big Huge Games
• Train Simulator (2001)
• SkiFree (December 31, 1991)
• Train Simulator 2 (canceled)
• (anticipated for Fall 2006) — Sigil Entertainment
• Zoo Tycoon (2001) — Blue Fang Games
• *Zoo Tycoon Dinosaur Digs (2002) — Blue Fang Games
• *Zoo Tycoon Marine Mania (2002) — Blue Fang Games
• Zoo Tycoon Complete Collection (2003) — Blue Fang Games
• Zoo Tycoon 2 (2004) — Blue Fang Games

Xbox

• Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding (2001) — Indie Built
• Amped 2 (2003) — Indie Built
• (2001) — Adrenium Games
• B.C. (cancelled) — Intrepid
• (2002) — Artoon
• (2004) — Artoon
• Blood Wake (2001) — Stormfront Studios
• Brute Force (2003) — Digital Anvil
• (2005) — Rare
• Counter-Strike (2003) — Valve
• (2003)
• Dead or Alive 3 (2001) — Tecmo
• Fable (2004) — Lionhead Studios/Big Blue Box Studios
• Forza Motorsport (2005)
• Fuzion Frenzy (2001) — Blitz Games
• Grabbed by the Ghoulies (2003) — Rare
• (2001) — Bungie Studios
• Halo 2 (2004) — Bungie Studios
• Inside Pitch 2003 (2003)
• Jade Empire (2005) — BioWare
• Kakuto Chojin (2002) — Dream Publishing
• (2004) — Phantagram
• Kung Fu Chaos (2003) — Just Add Monsters
• Links 2004 (2003) — Indie Built
• MechAssault (2002) — Day 1
• (2004) — Day 1
• Midtown Madness 3 (2003) — Digital Illusions CE
• NBA Inside Drive 2002 (2002) — High Voltage Software
• NBA Inside Drive 2003 (2002) — High Voltage Software
• NBA Inside Drive 2004 (2003) — High Voltage Software
• NFL Fever 2002 (2001)
• NFL Fever 2003 (2002)
• NFL Fever 2004 (2003)
• NHL Rivals 2004 (2003)
• NightCaster (2002) — VR1
• (2001) — Oddworld Inhabitants
• OutRun 2 (2004) — (co-published with Sega) Sega-AM2/Sumo Digital
• Project Gotham Racing (2001) — Bizarre Creations
• Project Gotham Racing 2 (2003) — Bizarre Creations
• Quantum Redshift (2002) — Curly Monsters
• RalliSport Challenge (2002) — Digital Illusions CE
• RalliSport Challenge 2 (2004) — Digital Illusions CE
• Shenmue II (2003) — Sega-AM2
• Sneakers (2002) — Mediavision Corporation
• Sudeki (2004) — Climax Studios
• (2003) — Studio Gigante
• The Wild Rings (2003)
• Top Spin (2003) — Power & Magic, Indie Built
• True Fantasy Live Online (cancelled) — Level-5
• Voodoo Vince (2003) — Beep Industries
• Whacked! (2002) — Presto Studios
• Xbox Music Mixer (2003) — Wild Tangent

Xbox 360

• (2005) — Rare
• Perfect Dark Zero (2005) — Rare
• ShadowRun (2007) — FASA Studios
• Project Gotham Racing 3 (2005) — Bizarre Creations
• Crackdown (2006) — Real Time Worlds
• Gears of War (2006) — Epic Games
• Mass Effect (2006/2007) — Bioware
• Ninety-Nine Nights (2006) — Q Entertainment / Phantagram
• Too Human (2006) — Silicon Knights
• Viva Piñata (2006) — Rare
• Halo 3 (2007) — Bungie Studios
• Blue Dragon (2006) — Mistwalker
• Lost Odyssey (2007) — Mistwalker
• Cry On (2007) — Mistwalker
• Fable 2 (2007) — Lionhead Studios

External links

• [Microsoft Game Studios official site]
• [Microsoft's Official Xbox Site]
• [Microsoft Game Studios] profile on MobyGames

 

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