After more than 13 years of hibernation, the Age of Empires series returns for the fourth time. In August 2017, publisher Microsoft Studios announced that Age of Empires 4 was alive and well, being developed by Relic Entertainment, the team behind Homeworld and Company of Heroes (whose pedigrees are hell). Since then, however, little has been revealed about the game. In 2019 we increasingly expect some news about Age of Empires 4 to come. So far, that's all we know about Age of Empires 4 so far. (Update: Age of Empires 4 hasn't made it to E3 2019, but Phil Spencer has announced that the news will be out before the end of the year. Keep reading to find out. More.)
Cut to the hunt
- What is it? The latest installment in the Age of Empires real-time historical strategy series.
- When can I play? There is no publishing window, but it will be the end of 2019 at the earliest.
- What can I play in? Windows 10 PC is the only confirmed platform
What is Age of Empires 4?
Age of Empires 4 is the latest in the Age of Empires series of real-time strategy stories, born in 1997. Follow-ups to the original were published in 1999 and 2005 and some spin-offs occurred during this period, including two titles about Nintendo DS and the popular Age of Mythology, inspired by myth and legend rather than history. Aside from these DS games, the series is PC-only. Age of Empires 4 is the first game in the series developed by Relic Entertainment. All of the other Age of Empires games were created by Ensemble Studios, which folded in 2009. Relic said that he wanted to "fuse historical context with deep strategic gameplay." bring this franchise to the forefront of the game and into the hands of your beloved community."
Age of Empires 4: release date
Unfortunately, no release date has been announced for Age of Empires 4, not even an approximate one. This could be a solution, however, because all we saw in the game is a trailer filled with concept illustrations in 2017, suggesting that development was in its infancy. If we bet on him, we will say that it will not be until the end of 2019 at the earliest.On what platforms will Age of Empires 4 be available?
To date, all we know is that it applies to a Windows 10 computer, so there is no chance if you are using an older version (although this may be a good excuse to level up). However, with Microsoft Studios as publisher, the door is also open for the launch of Xbox One, although nothing has been announced about it. For the same reason, it is unlikely that other consoles will be used, such as the PS4 or the Nintendo Switch.Age of Empires 4 trailer
The game's announcement was marked by a trailer, and it's still the only one we've seen so far. It is a concept exclusive to the game, describing large-scale battles between different groups. Check below:Age of Empires 4: news and rumors
The news arrives After the announcement of Age of Empires 4 at Gamescom in 2017, everything calmed down a bit. Those hoping to see an update at Microsoft's E3 press conferences in 2018 and 2019 were also disappointed. However, shortly after E3 2019, in an interview with PC gamer Phil Spencer confirmed that the game was still progressing and that other information would be revealed in 2019. Spencer has relented, but said that Relic was progressing well on Age of Empires. 4 and that he would be ready to "talk more this year" when he would be "in the right context." In 2019, we won't know more about the game, but there will be another Gamescom conference, which would be the perfect place for Microsoft to update, since the game had been announced for the first time. We'll have to wait and see.Age of Empires 4: Game Features
Previous Age of Empires games have focused on one period in history: Age of Empires 3, the chronicle of European colonization in the Americas, for example. However, judging by the trailer above, Age of Empires 4 could paint a bigger historical picture, with many empires returning from the previous games in the series. In the trailer, you can see Amerindians, British redcoats, Romans, and Japanese samurai. It may just be a demonstration of art style and themes, but we wouldn't be surprised if they don't end up in the finale to some degree.
That being said, it's unlikely that the story will be broken by opposing the armies of two eras of the campaign. So expect a story that takes place over a long period. And then maybe the Romans could take on the Redcoats in online multiplayer. In terms of gameplay, we didn't expect it to stray too far from the formula fans of the series know and love; it would be strange if the developer did not exploit this mineral support. So there will be the usual 4X fee (explore, develop, exploit and exterminate). However, the last Age of Empires game was over 10 years old. Therefore, we are expecting some changes in terms of UI and mechanics.
Age of Empires 4: what we want to see
A sleeker user interface. Age of Empires games have always had the right user interfaces: most things you need are two or three clicks away, and generally if you hover over a button, you'll figure out what's going on. He does. But coming back to it now, it looks a bit dated, with a large box covering most of the bottom of the screen and it can seem overwhelming at first glance.
If the series is to attract new players (and the crazier we are), the user interface must be elegant and attractive. Age of Empires Online, another spin-off, could perhaps be a good guide: this game has a lot less to watch on the screen at a time, allowing you to see more battlefields. Smaller context menus that appear only when you click on certain items would work just fine. Renewed unit tactic. Age of Empires games have military tactics and the position and posture of your units can turn a battle into a battle. But for the most part, the fight is won by the largest army and they are quickly over. We would like to see tactics play a bigger role in battles and make it easier to make small adjustments to unit groups to do exactly what you want. There is hope here: Relic has a lot of pedigree in this area. Imagine Age of Empires with Company of Heroes moves when you approach an enemy's base. This isn't what Relic will be heading for (after all the clashes between large armies and small strike forces), but we're confident it will be more refined than anything we've seen in the series thus far.
Several Regal Age of Empires cities on their smallest scale. Start with a town hall and build from there without expanding beyond a single bylaw. Rise of Nations, also published by Microsoft, could be a good way to see how the game should play out; In this game you can build multiple cities and combine them into vast territories. If you apply this to Age of Empires, you'll get multiple production hubs - one city could focus on food production and transport the finished product to another nearby city, which in turn is producing military units. Planning the structure of your empire, rather than just a city, would add an extra layer to the game.