Gamasutra has discovered new job postings indicating a new internal Microsoft Game Studios division called Spawnpoint Studios, staffed partly by members of Microsoft's Gears Of War 2 team - might this be the name of the company's much-reported internal Halo development division?
The advertisement for an internal, Redmond, WA-based programmer position, currently available on sites including Dice.com, explains:
"Would you like to work on a next-generation project, built from the ground up in MGS / Spawnpoint Studios? We have a very strong team, currently responsible for Gears of War 2, starting a new project in a start-up like environment. This is a rare opportunity to work on a team of game industry experts tackling a new challenge.
We're looking for strong developers with a great track record, people who can learn quickly and come up to speed with the latest generation technologies such as the Unreal Engine or CryEngine. Direct experience with these is not required, but being able to ramp up quickly is."
It's known that Microsoft is expanding its control over the Halo IP following franchise creator Bungie's move to become an independent studio. A recent GamesIndustry.biz interview with the company's Phil Spencer mentioned: "There are more than two or three teams building Halo things right now. Some of them we will own, some of them we won't".
Thus, it seems possible that such an FPS-centric studio name may be related to the vital franchise. Further rumors link Brothers In Arms developer Gearbox with Halo titles, and Ensemble is finishing up Halo Wars, the only currently announced new game in the franchise.
The only sure thing is that Microsoft is looking to ramp up its output of games in the series. When contacted by Gamasutra, a representative for Bungie gave a "no comment" answer, and Microsoft inquiries had not been returned as of press time.
