The site has rustled up a screenshot of the launcher for a game codenamed Spartan--also known as 'Project S'--supposedly in development at Robot. Anonymous sources claim Spartan builds upon Ensemble's Age of Empires series, which was a historical PC real-time strategy jaunt spanning thousands of years. The launcher makes reference to "crafting" and "quests." Microsoft's publishing arm Microsoft Game Studios also gets a nod.

Robot Entertainment was co-founded by Ensemble co-founder Tony Goodman with a forty-five-strong staff of Ensemble veterans after the Age of Empires and Age of Mythology dev was shut down by Microsoft following the completion of Halo Wars. Robot was drafted by Microsoft to provide Halo Wars support and downloadable content.

Two other studios arose from Ensemble's ashes--Windstorm Studios and Bonfire.

Back in September 2008, Microsoft's VP of interactive entertainment Shane Kim said the company was "still super excited for the potential" of the AoE franchise. "The Windows gaming world continues to evolve, and we believe in the future of that property." Perhaps unsurprisingly, little has been said on the topic since then.