Can you believe that it’s been 22 years since the release of the original Age of Empires? Since then there have been two sequels with a host of expansion packs and spin-offs. Despite some of its historical inaccuracies, the series remains one of the most educational and genre-defining video game franchises.
Gamers have been waiting years for a suitable successor to AOE 2 (since AOE 3 was so lackluster). Microsoft has been taking its time to ensure that the next game lives up to the gargantuan reputation of previous titles. However, when can gamers expect it?
Well, in this guide, we hope to answer that question as well as what we can expect from Age of Empires IV.
Age of Empires IV Timeline, Rumours and News
Microsoft is keeping a tight lid on any information regarding the next game. However, thanks to the internet, it is nearly impossible to keep anything airtight. Something is bound to leak out. This guide is a compilation of all the details, leaks, rumors and news we’ve heard (or read) about AOE IV.
When is Age of Empires IV Coming Out?
Let us not dance around the topic; this is probably the most important question on your mind. So we’ll answer it first. Unfortunately, there still hasn’t been an official announcement for the release date.
However, thanks to the gameplay trailer, first premiered during the X019 event, we can predict that it will have a winter 2020 or early 2021 release. It’s more likely that it will be released in 2021, as Microsoft has yet to release Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition.
When was Age of Empires IV Announced?
Age of Empires IV was officially announced on the 21st of August 2017. As you’d expect, there was no divulgence of a concrete release date. Some credit for the re-emergence of the series can possibly be credited to Bill Gates and Reddit user le-click. During an Ask Me Anything session in March of 2016, le-click asked Gates for another installment in the series, to which Bill replied: “I will look into this.”
To coincide with the Age of Empires IV announcement, Microsoft also announced that they would be publishing remasters of the previous three games. The first being Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, which was released on the 20th of February 2018.
The second remaster (Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition) was released on November 14, 2019, a few days before the release of the official gameplay trailer. The third installment in the series of remasters has yet to be released. However, despite an official release date, we can expect it early to mid-2020.
This is a great way to introduce new gamers to the franchise while re-sparking interest and nostalgia in older gamers. Strategy games aren’t as popular as they used to be, hopefully, AOE can save the genre.
Who is Developing Age of Empires IV?
To understand what we can expect from the next game in the series, we need to look at who’s developing it. The first three games were developed by Microsoft owned Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios.
Unfortunately, the studio was disbanded in 2009. This means the only way Microsoft could have resurrected the game is by tasking another studio to develop it. That studio is Relic Entertainment.
Relic Entertainment has been around since 1997. It went under the name THQ Canada Inc after it was bought by THQ in 2004. It then went back to its original name after being bought by Sega in 2013.
It’s responsible for games such as the Homeworld series, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and the Halo series. In 2006, it won the Best Developer award from IGN.com.
Players who may be worried that the next game in the series won’t have the same spirit or gameplay as the previous titles should not worry. Relic is an experienced developer with the right resources to do the series justice.
Microsoft seems to be impressed with Relic’s progress. It does seem like they are taking their time to understand what the AOE community hopes to see from the game.
They have a superb forum where gamers can share their experiences, socialize and keep up to date with all occurrences regarding all things AOE.
Which Platforms Will Age of Empires IV be Released On?
So far all the major games in the series have been released as Windows or PC exclusives. Although, there were spin-offs released for consoles, handheld systems, and mobile devices.
It seems that Age of Empires IV will be a Windows 10 PC exclusive. It makes sense. What better way is there to play a strategy game than with a comfortable keyboard and mouse at your fingertips?
Nevertheless, this seems like bad news for console gamers and PC users running alternative operating systems.
When or Where is Age of Empires IV Set?
Very little is known about the story or campaign yet. But from the trailer, we can assume that it’s set in the Middle Ages (Medieval Times), very similar to Age of Empires II. We expect that you’ll be able to start from the Dark ages and level up till you reach the Middle Ages.
Age of Empires III introduced a campaign mode, which fused elements of an RPG with the elements of an RTS. We’re uncertain if AOE IV will have a campaign mode that follows the same pattern. But we hope not, because this is one of the biggest aspects of the game that was derided by fans.
Age of Empires IV Graphics and Design
Judging by the gameplay Trailer, AOE IV will introduce more vibrant textures and graphics. We’re unclear on what game engine Relic will be using to realize AOE IV Medieval setting. Its predecessor (Age Of Empire III) used the Bang! Engine.
At the time, it was very system intensive. It was worth it though, as many reviewers of that time were impressed by the game’s graphical scale.
With Age of Empires IV, Relic is tasked with creating a game that strikes the right balance between aesthetics and gameplay. We know how frame rates drop when strategy games have too many units on the field. With that in mind, we can expect the game to require a high-end CPU to run perfectly, similar to Civilization games.
Relic has to make the game as accessible as possible since it will be released exclusively on the PC. So mid-range PCs should be able to play it comfortably, lest Microsoft wants to miss out on the entire demographic of gamers.
But much like the definitive edition remasters, the game can be expected to have 4K graphics which would be a nice touch for people sporting high-quality 4K gaming screens. One of the biggest fears that long-time fans have about Relic’s iteration is that the look and feel won’t match previous games. We’re afraid that the game won’t give us the same intimacy that previous games did.
We expect Relic games to step into the future while preserving the older games’ heart and soul. We’re not sure how much the population cap will be or how far we’ll be able to zoom in and out on the map.
But we can take solace in the fact that the developers have promised to update the game without overcomplicating it. During a talk with GamesRadar, Adam Isgreen, AOE IV’s creative director had this to say:
“Generally speaking, the longer a genre exists, the games that are responsible for taking it forward tend to make it more complicated. With Age of Empires 4, it was important for us to be like, ‘okay, how do we back away from that?’ We do not want to take on all of the complexity that we see in RTS games today. This is a fresh start for us. We want to modernize the series and that means we are going to do things differently.”
What Do We Know About the Age of Empire IV’s Gameplay?
We previously touched on the AOE 3’s campaign and lamented that we would not like the same for AOE 4’s campaign. According to Adam Isgreen during his chat with GamesRadar, the campaign will be vastly different from what we experienced in the past.
Which is good news (at least for me)? During the interview, he said:
“We’re doing something very different from the campaign… I can’t talk about it, but it’s really crazy-cool. I can say that we will be bringing history in a fun and exciting way to people – the way we coined it for Age of Empires 4 is ‘humanized histories’.”
It’s a bit vague, but it sounds like the campaign will provide a tasteful and educational experience.
We can also predict that we will get a skirmish mode where players can set up their own scenarios. There should be some online multiplayer as well.
We expect that the chore gameplay mechanics are still preserved but updated. The game should still be based around exploration, building, militarization, and war.
Will Age of Empires IV be New Player Friendly?
I’ve always believed that the Age of Empires was the best game to introduce neophytes to the famed RTS genre. The games have always had some of the best pickup and play-ability of any strategy game. Since it uses real-life historical cultures and figures, you don’t have to bother yourself too much with understanding the characters or their stories
What this means is you won’t have to play previous games to understand the next one. There isn’t a linear story that connects all the sequels. It’s basically a sporting game. The sport in this instance is colony building and war.
Even with the above facts, Relic has taken steps to ensure that the game is as welcoming to new gamers as possible.
During an interview at X019, Adam Isgreen confirmed that there will be an analytics-based tutorial mode in the game. The AI will be able to read how the gamer is playing and then modify its instructions and difficulty to suit the gamer’s play style.
The AI will be able to give you tips on things you’ve missed. If you veer off the path, it will guide you back to it. It basically sounds like Clippy from older versions of Microsoft Office.
But to minimize it this way, would do Relic a huge disservice. The tutorials work like a guided practice mode, that’s customized to suit your skill and civilization. It throws you into the thick of things and helps you get out of them in real-time.
For instance, what do you do when you’re attacked before you’ve established any real military defense? You can explore these scenarios and more.
Will Age of Empires IV Have Microtransactions?
Nothing inspires hisses, boos, and jeers from gamers as microtransactions do. It’s one of the reasons EA so reviled. Fortunately, Adam Isgreen put gamers at ease by stating that there are no plans to incorporate microtransactions into the game. Instead, Relic would be exploring DLCs and Expansions, just like the good old days. His exact words were:
“The idea of microtransactions in a real-time strategy game isn’t a thing. DLC, expansions – all of that is things that we’re going to be exploring for Age 4.” Â
Age of Empires IV Sound and Music
It’s no secret that the Age of Empires games have some of the best soundtracks in gaming history. Age of Empires IV needs to live up to that legacy. That’s why we jumped for joy when we found out that Mikolai Stroinski would be composing the Soundtrack to AOE IV. He announced this on his official Facebook page.
If you’re unfamiliar with him, he’s a Kenyan born Polish raised music composer, responsible for The Witcher 3’s Soundtrack. We all know that the Witcher 3 is one of the best single-player games on PC. Judging by his past work, we can safely say that the AOE’s score, sound, and music are going to be awesome.
What Do We Expect to See From Age of Empires IV?
As veterans of prior installments of the series, this is what we would like to see with the next Age of Empires.
A Greater Population Cap
Age of Empires III limited gamers to only 200 (~300) units. You could get around this by downloading a mod. I hope that Age of Empires IV will increase that cap. It should make for more interesting battles and strategies.
Better Menus, HUD, and UI
Age of Empire 3’s menus and user interface were serviceable when it came out over a decade ago. The very sandy brown color schemes suit the game’s theme and aesthetic. Instead of large blocky buttons and map displays, we expect to see something more modern and smoothed out.
We also hope to see better-organized menu items and stat boards.
Deeper Wartime Tactics
This may be a bit detrimental to some gamers. Age of Empires shines in its simplicity. That’s what differentiates it from other titles and strategy games. Its smaller and more controllable scale. However, we’d still like to be able to refine our tactics, particularly for attacking units.
Most battles in AOE III were won by players who had the bigger army and most experience points. Every battle would break down into a dogfight, making it hard to keep track of important key pieces of your army.
Hopefully, AOE IV allows gamers to have greater control of their units. This will give players the ability to plan out and exercise better attack strategies and tactics.
Final Thoughts
Unlike Bloodborne 2, we actually have concrete evidence that suggests the Age of Empires IV is making progress and it will be released in the next two years. If you want to be the first to receive alerts and info, regarding any developments regarding the series, consider becoming an Age Insider. This will give you access to forums, beta testing opportunities and a chance to provide feedback. Nonetheless, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading through this and I hope it’s answered a few questions for you. Thank you for reading and happy gaming.