Here's the full transcript of my e-mail interview with Bonnie Ross, general manager of the Halo business at Microsoft, about why Ensemble Studios is being closed once work is done on Halo Wars:

Q: What precipitated the decision to close Ensemble? Based on Bruce Shelley's blog, it sounds like this decision was as much a surprise to the employees at Ensemble as it was to the gaming community.

A: Microsoft Game Studios is always evaluating its business model to determine what is best for both gamers and the company. Many factors were considered to make this difficult decision, and we feel this move will help us better align with our goals for the near future.

Q: Why make the decision to close Ensemble before Halo Wars was released? Wouldn't it have made more sense to see what kind of sales numbers the game produced?

A: We are confident that "Halo Wars" will do brilliantly in sales figures, especially with all the great feedback it has received in behind-closed-doors demos. Our decision to announce this before the game's release is rooted in an evaluation of the larger strategy and direction of MGS and Ensemble, and did not rest solely on "Halo Wars." Additionally, we had originally planned to move Ensemble to a new location in Plano, Texas and Ensemble employees were starting to consider buying new homes. We wanted to prevent people from uprooting unnecessarily. This was a difficult business decision and it impacts our employees and their family's lives. "Halo Wars" is a great game created by the Ensemble team. We want the team to be proud of what they created, but also feel that they have the time to make decisions for their future whether it's with Microsoft Game Studios, the new studio some of the Ensemble employees are forming or elsewhere.