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Microsoft Game Studios

From Xbox Wiki

Microsoft Game Studios
TypeSubsidiary of Microsoft
Founded1990
HeadquartersRedmond, Washington
IndustryInteractive Entertainment
ProductsHalo series
Viva Piñata series
Age of Empires series
Perfect Dark series
Black & White series
Gears of War series
Banjo-Kazooie series
Conker series
ParentMicrosoft
Websitehttp://www.microsoft.com/games/

Microsoft Game Studios (MGS), branded with current logo and moniker in 2002 (formerly the Microsoft Game Division or Microsoft Games), is a wholly owned subsidiary[citation needed] of Microsoft which develops and publishes video games for Windows-based PCs, as well as the the Xbox and Xbox 360 video game consoles. It also, through Rare Ltd., develops games for the Nintendo DS. MGS publishes games for several Microsoft-owned first-party developers, such as Lionhead Studios and Rare Ltd. MGS has also published games created by third-party developers, such as BioWare and Epic Games.

Contents

History

Microsoft Game Studios have acquired many game development houses since its inception, such as Bungie in 1999, giving MGS full control of Bungie and shifting the development of Halo: Combat Evolved to its Xbox platform.[1]

In September 2002, MGS acquired Rare Ltd. from Nintendo and the Stamper brothers (Chris and Tim), who owned 49% and 51% of the company respectively in what is believed to be one of the most expensive purchases of a video games development company yet, at a cost of around USD375 million.[2] This also meant Microsoft acquired the rights to Rare’s own original IPs such as the Banjo-Kazooie, Conker and Perfect Dark franchises.

In April 2006, MGS announced that they had purchased Lionhead Studios for an undisclosed sum. This has allowed them to further bolst the range of exclusive titles for their Xbox platforms, notably with the Fable video game series.[3] The following month, MGS also acquired Massive Incorporated, an in-game advertising company to provide additional revenues from their gaming platforms such as PCs and the Xbox 360.[4]

In May 2007, Microsoft announced it would be opening a European office of MGS in Reading in the United Kingdom (the present location of Microsoft's General UK offices). This office will be headed by Phil Spencer, who was General Manager for the games division before the announcement.[5]

In May 2008, Microsoft announced the formation of a newly created internal games studio to create "high quality digital content" for Xbox Live Arcade.[6]

Studios

In-house

Third-party

Former

Other

Owned franchises and properties





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.

MS-DOS/Windows

Xbox

Xbox 360

Xbox Live Arcade

Other

See also

References

  1. ↑ Microsoft to Acquire Bungie Software: Microsoft Corp. announced it acquired Chicago-based Bungie Software Products Corp., a leading independent developer of action oriented co...
  2. ↑ Microsoft Acquires Video Game Powerhouse Rare Ltd.: Developers of Such Worldwide Hits as "Donkey Kong 64," "Banjo-Kazooie," "GoldenEye 007" And "Perfect Dark" Bring Their Tale...
  3. ↑ Microsoft Game Studios Acquires Video Game Luminary Peter Molyneux’s Lionhead Studios: Lionhead’s hit franchise “Fable” surpasses 2 million unit sales milestone
  4. ↑ Microsoft to Acquire In-Game Advertising Pioneer Massive Inc.: Massive’s technology for weaving dynamic, relevant ads into video games will extend next-generation advertising ...
  5. ↑ Gamasutra - New Microsoft Game Studios Office For Europe
  6. ↑ Joe Keiser (2008-05-22). "Exclusive Interview: MS to Delist XBLA Titles". Next-Gen.biz. Retrieved on 2008-05-22.
  7. ↑ "Joy Ride developed by BigPark" (June 1, 2009).
  8. ↑ http://gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=21981
  9. ↑ http://pc.ign.com/articles/947/947737p1.html
  10. ↑ http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/microsoft-closes-aces-game-studio

External links

Retrieved from "http://xbox.wikia.com/wiki/Microsoft_Game_Studios"