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[DodgerBlue]

All-but-dormant studio formed by Wing Commander creator is put to sleep--staff "redeployed" to Microsoft Game Studios HQ.

In 1996, game designer Chris Roberts founded an all-new studio, Digital Anvil. Already renowned for his creation of the then-popular Wing Commander series, Roberts had grown restless after his employer, Origin Systems, grew in size. He told the press that Digital Anvil would be a return to the smaller studio system which he felt produced better games.

However, it wasn't until four years later that Starlancer (PC, Dreamcast), the first game to bear the Digital Anvil imprimatur, was released. Around the same time, the small shop was bought by one of the biggest companies around--Microsoft, which folded it into its internal Microsoft Game Studios system. Chris Roberts promptly exited the company, but would consult on several games in development.

Microsoft's first move after buying Digital Anvil was to sell off two of its projects--Frontier Wars and Loose Cannon--to Ubisoft. It also took the previously PC-only Brute Force and turned it into an Xbox exclusive, released in 2003. That year also saw the release of the most acclaimed Digital Anvil game, Freelancer, for the PC.

Now, it appears Brute Force will have the distinction of being Digital Anvil's last game. Today, Microsoft confirmed to GameSpot that it has shut down the shop and is organizing a "redeployment" of its staff to studios at Microsoft Game Studios headquarters.

"Microsoft Game Studios has undergone a redeploying of resources in its Austin, Texas-based Digital Anvil studio and will centralize the studio's resources in Redmond, Washington," the company said in a statement. "We are working closely with current Digital Anvil employees to place each team member in a position on the Microsoft Game Studios team in Redmond if they so choose. This redeployment of resources will be finalized on January 31, 2006." All-but-dormant studio formed by Wing Commander creator is put to sleep--staff "redeployed" to Microsoft Game Studios HQ.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6140687.html

 

[LAMBO]

Freelancer was a huge letdown

 

[Open Source]

Starlancer and Brute Force were letdowns, too.

Chris Roberts should have a GDC session where he writes, "I am not a rock star" 100 times on a chalkboard.

 

[LAMBO]

I liked starlancer better than freelancer. Freelancer's main campaign was pretty good, it just didn't have the living universe i expected.

 

[Teknopathetic]

"I liked starlancer better than freelancer. Freelancer's main campaign was pretty good, it just didn't have the living universe i expected."

We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.

 

[Speevy]

Was this the company that made Mech Assault?

 

[LAMBO]

We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.

heheh yes i remember that. I also remember every space station in the galaxy having the same 4 missions.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

"I liked starlancer better than freelancer. Freelancer's main campaign was pretty good, it just didn't have the living universe i expected."

We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.
We don't run this space station, but we have an understanding with the people that do.

:lol:lol

 

[Arcticfox]

Starlancer and Brute Force were letdowns, too.

Chris Roberts should have a GDC session where he writes, "I am not a rock star" 100 times on a chalkboard.

Chris Roberts left when Microsoft decided to cut back on his plans for Freelancer, and Erin Roberts was the designer of Starlancer, so Chris didn't really do anything when he was at Digital Anvil.

 

[Sean]

Was this the company that made Mech Assault?

No, that was Day 1 Studios. Digital Anvil's only Xbox game was Brute Force, and AFAIK they started Brute Force 2 but that got cancelled.

 

[LAMBO]

Chris Roberts left when Microsoft decided to cut back on his plans for Freelancer, and Erin Roberts was the designer of Starlancer, so Chris didn't really do anything when he was at Digital Anvil.

MS really fucked up 2 of my most anticipated PC titles, PC "Tribes Killer" Halo and freelancer.

I hope Chris makes more space combat sims, there's never enough of them.

 

[ManaByte]

MS really fucked up 2 of my most anticipated PC titles, PC "Tribes Killer" Halo and freelancer.

I hope Chris makes more space combat sims, there's never enough of them.

I heard he still wants to do another, or re-do the original, Wing Commander movie. :lol

 

[Sinatar]

Its funny, I was wondering what was up with them just the other day when I finished Perfect Dark Zero. Why? Because they are in the credits for some of the art assets.