After bringing back Age of Empires II with an HD re-release and several years of new expansions, reviving the long-running real-time strategy series, Microsoft has finally announced a new installment. Get ready for the return of a classic with the trailer of Age of Empires IV.
A Surprise Announcement
There's no doubt that the announcement of this fourth installment of the Age of Empires series has taken the gaming community by surprise. That's how Microsoft did it, taking advantage of the Gamescom 2017 trade fair to announce with great fanfare the return of the classic real-time strategy series with Age of Empires IV. The game is being developed by Relic Entertainment, creators of the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series and Company of Heroes among other beloved strategy games. Apart from its existence and the intention to release the game exclusively on Windows 10, Microsoft Studios revealed almost nothing about the project.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/RYwZ6GZXWhATrailer Analysis
Judging by the animated concept art in the trailer, Age of Empires IV will not take the series to a single new era. Instead, a variety of armies from previous games in the series are included in the images: Native Americans, British Redcoats, Roman legionaries, and Japanese samurai, among others. It's unclear if these are the units or factions we'll control in Age of Empires IV. Let's hope they don't take the form of individually purchased armies, as Relic Entertainment did with Company of Heroes 2 (a system highly criticized by users).
Sales, Remaster, and What's Next
The Age of Empires saga has sold more than 20 million copies to date across base games and expansions, and despite almost twelve years having passed since its appearance, Age of Empires III remains one of the favorite games for online play. Worth remembering that a remastered version of the first Age of Empires is also on its way, and it will be released on October 19, 2017, as a Windows 10 exclusive. Called Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, this remaster includes 4K support, several gameplay improvements, a completely remastered soundtrack, and multiplayer support. Age of Empires IV is being developed by Relic Entertainment and will be available exclusively on Windows 10. For now, the game has no concrete release date.
Official site: Age of Empires IV
