FASA Studio, a first-party developer at Microsoft known for games such as MechAssault, Crimson Skies, and most recently the first game to enable cross-platform play between Xbox 360 and Windows Vista, Shadowrun, has confirmed today on the official Shadowrun message boards that the studio is no more.

FASA Studio manager Mitch Gitelman said, "It is my sad duty to announce that FASA Studio has officially closed its doors. Today was the official last day of employment for those of us who had not moved on to other positions within Microsoft Game Studios. While the rumors have been circulating forever, we chose to wait on an official announcement because we didn't want people's attention distracted from our last product, Shadowrun, a game we love.

"As a testament to the team's commitment to Shadowrun, we released three title updates to improve the product even after the team learned we were losing our studio. We have kept our Community Manager and Technical Support Manager on the job to aid and support you and will continue to do so while people continue to play our game. I am pleased that about half of us have found great positions elsewhere in MGS and Microsoft where they can share their experience and passion with the great people there.

"But now, as the last of us say our goodbyes to each other, I'm saying goodbye to you on behalf of a group of talented and dedicated professionals who busted their humps for the love of the game. I am proud to have worked with and represented them to you and know that wherever they go, they will continue to kick ass."

As Gitelman alludes to, the rumors about FASA's possible demise have been around for many, many months at this point, so the news while unfortunate is certainly not a shocker. What this means for the future of Shadowrun players, however, is to be determined. 1UP.com points out that some PC and 360 gamers are claiming they can no longer play each other. One has to wonder how long the game's servers will last.

We've pinged Microsoft for official comment and will update accordingly.

[UPDATE] GameDaily BIZ has received the following statement from Microsoft: "We're incredibly proud of the FASA team and the game they produced, Shadowrun. Microsoft has redeployed more than half of the FASA employees throughout the Microsoft Game Studios division, strengthening MGS as a whole with their specialized talent developing a cross-platform game and overall experience as veteran world-class game developers.

"We are very proud of what the FASA team accomplished with Shadowrun, and we will continue to support the title."

When pressed for further comment about whether this means that cross-platform gameplay will still be possible for the foreseeable future, the spokesperson simply answered, "Yes."