Ensemble Studios
Background
Ensemble Studios was founded in 1995 and was located in Dallas, Texas. In 2001, it was acquired by Microsoft. They are most famous for developing the Age of Empires series. In September 2008, it was confirmed that Microsoft would shut down the studio following the release of Halo Wars as a fiscally-rooted decision. Tony Goodman, along with a number of veteran developers, announced in February 2009 to have founded the studio Robot Enteetainment. A second team of about 35 developers announced to have founded Bonfire Studios in the same month, followed by the creation of two more studios: Newtoy and Windstorm Studios.
1st Logo (October 15, 1997-October 31, 1998)
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Logo: On a black background, we see the words "ENSEMBLE STUDIOS" appear letter-by-letter, forming a circular aura above a tilted Saturn-like moon. The words then fly off, but reappear sliding from the sides and making their places in front of the moon.
Technique: The formation of the logo.
Music/Sounds: Matching drumbeats and two echoing waterdrops, followed by a gong-like sound at the end.
Availability: Appeared on Age Of Empires.
2nd Logo (September 30, 1999-July 4, 2002)
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Logo: On the same background as the previous logo, we see a moon. The camera zooms back, as a gold aura goes behind the moon, and then two streaks orbit the eclipse, forming what appears to be a bunch of stones. Then, "Ensemble Studios" appears.
Technique: The formation of the logo.
Music/Sounds: A humming synth.
Availability: Can be seen on Age Of Empires II and strangely kept on the HD version of the game.
3rd Logo (October 30, 2002)
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Logo: We can see the planet Earth, where civilizations prosper and people walk, then we start to move along the globe. Two dragons fly and pass over, as we zoom out to see the regular model globe fixed on a desk with the Moon on a pin. The company name appears in front of the logo, which itself clears, and the dragon flies to land on the "E" letter.
Technique: TBA
Music/Sounds: A rather dramatic droning sound with the noise of flying dragons and hammer strikes.
Availability: Used in Age Of Mythology.
4th Logo (October 18, 2005)
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Logo: There is an orange map of America with toy soldiers of two sides standing on it and aiming each other. The company name is written by an invisible pencil between the armies, while three dice cubes roll over the area, one of them slightly pushing a toy soldier.
Technique: The moving dice and the words writing themselves in.
Music/Sounds: Sounds of the dice and the pencil drawing.
Availability: Can be seen on Age Of Empires III.
5th Logo (October 17, 2006-August 24, 2008)
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Logo: The blue crystallized company name zooms out to the background, which becomes light blue, and a spark runs over.
Technique: The words zooming and shining in CGI.
Music/Sounds: A short uprising soundtrack.
Availability: Appeared on two expansions for Age Of Empires III, namely Asian Dynastians and WarChiefs.
6th Logo (February 26, 2009)
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Logo: We see an extreme close-up of the glowing word "Ensemble", flickering and rapidly zooming out to a rectangle which only has two edges part, as the two other parts are cleared out. The word appears to be inside and flickers.
Technique: The words flickering and the background slightly moving.
Music/Sounds: Several circuit sounds and an echoed bang.
Availability: Appeared on Halo Wars for Xbox 360. A still logo was spotted on Age of Empires: Mythologies for NDS.
