robot entertainment

Robot Entertainment certainly hasn’t been holding back in sharing bits and pieces of their upcoming game Orcs Must Die!, this time briefly delving into the Wind Belt. From the …
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Orcs Must Die! is getting more creative by the day. Now in addition to the many other traps exploding barrels are being brought into the mix. While exploding barrels …
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Robot Entertainment just released this new spotlight video for their upcoming game, Orcs Must Die!. In it we see one of many deployables the player can use to defend …
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We recently had the opportunity to visit Dallas and talk with the team behind Orcs Must Die. We recorded our own version but after hearing the recording from our …
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Ensemble Studios shutting down was a bittersweet moment for a team that had grown extremely close over the years; however, as cliché as it sounds, the doors closing on Ensemble forced the team to look at open doors full of opportunity and new possibilities. For many this meant the first chance in years to break away from an already established IP in over fifteen years presenting a chance now to take risks and reinvigorate themselves. The tight-knit group showed that it really did believe in fostering community, as when the former Microsoft subsidiary disbanded as company but the majority of its members stuck together in one of four new studios: Robot Entertainment, Bonfire (now Zynga Dallas), Windstorm Studio and New Toy.

Recently we had the opportunity to visit Robot Entertainment in Dallas. While the studio may have a new name, they haven’t forgotten all the old lessons they learned. The team still believes in community both internally and with fans. Upon entering the studio, the open environment is striking: four main quadrants of desks with no cubicles or walls and a biergarten style lunch room comprise the majority of the studio. Outside of the two war rooms, server room and executive offices, it’s an entirely open floor plan mirroring the studios own level of openness with employees. The real decisions as to what games are made don’t come from a guy in a suit with a calculator, but from a collaborative process involving the entire team.

This “organic” process started six months ago. Development on Age of Empires Online was beginning to wind down, and the studio was looking toward what their next project would be. Instead of setting their sights on the traditional three year AAA development cycle, Robot chose to focus on the downloadable segment of the industry. The shorter development time allowed the fifty person team to the ability to not become re-tied down to a singular IP for the foreseeable future. Robot started to brainstorm and create basic prototypes for some of the better ideas, one of which was Orcs Must Die.

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Robot Entertainment, the studio formed by many ex-Ensemble employees, have announced their new game. Orcs Must Die!, billed a ‘fantasy action-strategy game’, is not quite what one might expect from the people behind Age of Empires. Players must defend their castle against hordes of Orcs, using magic, traps and parts of the enviroment.

No solid release date has been announced but we can expect to see the game some time in the summer. Those attending PAX East will be able to get their hands on the game as Robot will be there to show off a playable demo. Check back on XBLAFans tomorrow as we will have hands on impressions and more. In the mean time check out the debut trailer and screenshots after the jump. Read More