Xbox Game Studios / Ensemble Studios (original developer) / Forgotten Empires (modern ports)

Ensemble Studios was the original developer of Age of Mythology (aom.exe) and the Age of Empires series; it was an independent studio founded in the mid-1990s and later acquired by Microsoft. Microsoft published Ensemble's games under the Microsoft Game Studios label (now rebranded as Xbox Game Studios). Ensemble Studios was closed by Microsoft in 2009, but its legacy titles (including Age of Mythology) remain associated with Microsoft as the publisher and rights holder.

In recent years, third-party teams such as Forgotten Empires have collaborated with Microsoft/Xbox Game Studios to maintain, remaster, and port entries in the Age of Empires family for modern platforms (including Definitive Editions and ongoing updates). Forgotten Empires is an independent studio known for working on modern remasters, balance updates, and community-facing support for the franchise under license from Microsoft. For the executable aom.exe, the authoritative commercial rights and distribution are held by...