FASA Interactive studio manager Mitch Gitelman announced Wednesday that Microsoft has shut down the Shadowrun developer, with Wednesday being the last day of employment for those not reassigned within Microsoft Game Studios (MGS). Posting in the official Shadowrun forums, Gitelman wrote that about half of those who were working at FASA have found positions elsewhere within MGS. Microsoft acquired FASA Interactive in 1999, after which the company’s BattleTech and MechWarrior properties became PC and Xbox exclusives.

While Shadowrun had a troubled development cycle that involved several delays and reboots (at one point, it was going to feature a single-player story mode), the final product was a solid multiplayer shooter — even though it fell short of the potential of the complex Shadowrun universe. The meager selection of nine maps and Vista-only compatibility didn’t help matters, either. Still, the people at FASA hung in long after the game was complete, issuing three updates even after they knew Microsoft would be shuttering the studio.

The real disappointment with respect to FASA is that MGS didn’t utilize the team to further develop the lucrative BattleTech and MechWarrior properties. Microsoft still owns the IPs, so anything is possible, but with FASA out of the picture after spending three years on a failed product, a crucial link to the past is gone.