“Now a new age is upon us.”
[dropcap size=small]I[/dropcap]t has been nearly 12 years since the last Age of Empires was released for PC and now the latest entry in the real-time strategy franchise has been announced by Microsoft Studios. The series began back in 1997 with Age of Empires and that game, as well as the next two entries in the franchise, were all developed by Ensemble Studios which no longer exists. But with Relic Entertainment and Microsoft Studios working on the project, it is safe to say that Age of Empires will live up to fan’s expectations.
While it is Microsoft Studios who is publishing Age of Empires IV, it is Relic Entertainment who has been developing the real-time strategy game for Windows 10 PC. Based in Vancouver, Canada the studio has plenty of experience when it comes to real-time strategy games and has been responsible for franchises like Homeworld, Company of Heroes, and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War.
“Relic Entertainment has a wealth of experience in creating high-quality RTS games, making them the ideal partner to develop Age of Empires 4,” said Adam Isgreen, creative director at Microsoft Studios. “We are thrilled to be working with them and can’t wait for fans to see their unique and exciting contribution to the Age of Empires franchise.” In its own announcement Relic Entertainment said, “We can’t wait to tap into our strengths as a studio to fuse historical context with deep strategic gameplay, and to bring this franchise back to the forefront of gaming and into the hands of its beloved community.”
With RTS games like Starcraft II on its way out the door and a declining fan base Microsoft Studios and Relic Entertainment have picked a superb time to announce Age of Empires IV, let’s just hope it lives up to the hype.
