Twelve years since "Age of Empires III" was released, publisher Microsoft Studios announced that "Age of Empires IV" is currently in development and will be coming to the PC. The announcement comes two decades after the original game came out.
The news was revealed during the 2017 Gamescom in Cologne, Germany. The company also released an announcement trailer for the game. However, details about the release window or the game's features are not yet available. The trailer only showed concept art depicting ancient civilizations and historic battles.
In addition to the announcement of the new game, the first "Age of Empires" game celebrated its 20<sup>th anniversary. The game was released in 1997 as a real-time strategy (RTS) game created by Ensemble Studios. The original game featured gameplay covering the Stone Age to the Classical period.
Two years later in 1999, "Age of Empires II" was released, employing many gameplay enhancements and expanding the eras covered to the Middle Ages. When "Age of Empires III" was released in 2005, it focused on the colonial period while introducing a number of new mechanics.
Microsoft will be working with Canadian game developer Relic Entertainment for the new "Age of Empires" game. The studio specializes in real-time strategy games and is the developer behind acclaimed franchises like "Company of Heroes," "Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War," and "Homeworld."
"Relic Entertainment has a wealth of experience in creating high-quality RTS games, making them the ideal partner to develop Age of Empires IV," said Adam Isgreen, creative director at Microsoft Studios in an Xbox Wire post. "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."
"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," said the developer in a blog post.
