| Microsoft Game Studios | |
| |
| Type | Private |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Defunct | |
| Headquarters | |
| Products | |
| Parent Company | N/A |
| Website | http://www.microsoft.com/games/ |
Microsoft Game Studios is a seperate branch of computer-conglomerate Microsoft. They are among the leading worldwide publishers and developers in the gaming industry. And since they're operated under the name of 'Microsoft', they develop console games exclusively for Microsoft Xbox. They've also been known as simply 'Microsoft' (original publisher) and 'Microsoft Games' (publisher from 1999 to mid 2001).
History
The real birth of Microsoft Game Studios comes with the beginning of Microsoft itself. In April 1975, William Gates III, along with Paul Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The company originally had only three employees. In November the following year, Microsoft was opted as a registered trademark.
Six years later, in 1982, Microsoft U.K. Ltd. was incorporated and the following year, Windows was shown to the world for the first time. In 1986, Microsoft offered its first shares to the public market at $21. At the end of the day, its worth was up to $28.
Almost fifteen years later, Microsoft released DirectX 8.0 and shipped Mechwarrior 4, developed by an (acquired) in-house FASA Interactive team. One year later, Microsoft released the Xbox, the company's first home entertainment console. It also shipped with Bungie's widely-acclaimed first-person shooter, Halo.
In 2002, Microsoft released its official online service, Xbox Live. In September of that year, Microsoft bought out game developer Rare, best known for their development roles in Goldeneye: 007 and Perfect Dark. January of 2004, Xbox team lead Ed Fries left the company. His efforts helped launched the Xbox and top games such as Halo and the Age of Empire series. February of that year Microsoft canceled their fantasy MMORPG, Mythica. Also, in early February the following year, the company recalled more than 14.1 million Xbox power cords due to concerns regarding a rare electrical failure that posed a fire hazard. Hironobu Sakaguchi, original creator of the Final Fantasy series, founded Mistwalker with financial help from Microsoft Game Studios to develop new RPGs for the company's next console, the Xbox 360.
In March of 2005, the company signed Epic's Unreal Engine 3 technology for future development.
Studios
Microsoft currently owns:
Games:
Microsoft Game Studios have developed, published and ported more than 150 games from 1982 to current.
Published By Microsoft
- 3D Pinball
- Age of Empires series
- Age of Mythology series
- Allegiance
- Amped & Amped 2
- Asheron's Call series
- Azurik
- Beyond The Limit
- Blinx & Blink 2
- Blood Wake
- Brute Force
- CART Precision Racing
- Chip's Challenge
- Close Combat series
- Crimson Skies & Crimson Skies: High Road To Revenge
- Dead or Alive 3
- Dead or Alive Ultimate
- Deadly Tide
- Dungeon Siege & Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna
- Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly
- Freelancer
- Fury3
- Fusion Frenzy
- Grabbed by the Ghoulies
- Half-Life: Counter Strike
- Halo: Combat Evolved
- Hellbender
- Inside Pitch 2003
- Jade Empire
- Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders
- Kings & Myths
- Kung Fu Chaos
- Links series
- Magic School Bus
- Mech Commander 2
- MechAssault & MechAssault 2:Lone Wolf
- MechWarrior 4
- Metal Gear Solid
- Microsoft Arcade
- Microsoft Baseball 2000 & Microsoft Baseball 2001
- Microsoft Caribbean
- Microsoft Casino
- Microsoft Classic Board Games
- Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator series
- Microsoft Decathlon
- Microsoft Entertainment Packs
- Microsoft Flight Simulator series
- Microsoft Golf
- Microsoft Internation Soccer 2000
- Microsoft Pinball Arcade
- Microsoft Return To Arcade
- Microsoft Revenge of Arcade
- Microsoft Soccer
- Microsoft Solitaire
- Microsoft Space Simulator
- Microsoft Train Simulator
- Midtown Madness & Midtown Madness 2
- Minesweeper
- Monster Truck Madness & Monster Truck Madness 2
- Motorcross Truck Madness & Motorcross Truck Madness 2
- N.U.D.E.
- NBA Full Court Press
- NBA Inside Drive series
- The Neverhood
- NFL Fever 2002
- Nibbles
- Nightcaster: Defeat The Darkness
- Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
- Outwars
- Pandora's Box
- Pipe Dream
- Project Gotham Racing
- Racing Madness & Racing Madness 2
- RalliSport Challenge
- Rise of Nations & Rise of Nations: Thrones & Patriots
- Shenmue II
- Ski Free
- Starlancer
- Sudeki
- Tao Feng: Fist of The Lotus
- Top Spin
- The Ultimate Haunted House
- Urban Assault
- Voodoo Vince
- Whacked!
- Zoo Tycoon series
Developed By Microsoft
- Amped 2
- Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding
- Close Combat Trilogy
- Inside Pitch 2003
- Links 2003
- Links 2003: Championship Courses
- Links 2003: Championship Edition
- Links Championship Edition
- Mech Commander 2
- Microsoft Adventure
- Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator
- Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2
- Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 3
- Microsoft Entertainment Pack 2
- Microsoft Entertainment Pack
- Microsoft Flight Simulator (v4.0)
- Microsoft Flight Simulator (v5.0)
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 95
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 98
- Microsoft Return of Arcade
- Microsoft Return of Arcade Anniversary Edition
- Microsoft Revenge of Arcade
- Minesweeper
- NFL Fever 2002
- Nibbles
- Pandora's Box
- Racing Madness
- Racing Madness 2
- Ski Free