Aces Game Studio

Aces Game Studio (stylized ACES) was an American video game developer based in Redmond, Washington.

The group was initially known as Microsoft's simulation group, acting as the developer of the Microsoft Flight Simulator and Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator series for Microsoft. The group had also assisted Kuju Entertainment in developing Microsoft Train Simulator.[1] As the release of the first Xbox console approached in 2002, the group was renamed to Aces Game Studio. They worked with Stormfront Studios to develop Blood Wake as a launch title for the Xbox.[2]

In the following years, Aces led development on the next three iterations of Microsoft Flight Simulator, including Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight (2004) and Microsoft Flight Simulator X (2006).

As part of a move that cut 5,000 jobs at Microsoft, Aces Game Studio was closed on January 22, 2009.[3][4][5]

In October 2009, Rick Selby and Kathie Flood, alongside other former members of Aces Game Studio, launched a new studio, called Cascade Game Foundry, for the development of simulation games.[6]

Among notable alumni of Aces include Rod Fergusson, who after Aces worked at both Epic Games and The Coalition as one of the lead designers in the Gears of War series.[2]