Age of Empires 4 announced, coming to PC

A new Age of Empires game, Age of Empires 4, is in development for Windows 10 PC, publisher Microsoft Studios announced today.

Age of Empires 4 will be the first proper entry in the real-time strategy franchise since 2005’s Age of Empires 3. The series began with the original Age of Empires in 1997; the three main titles, including 1999’s Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings, were all developed by the now-defunct Ensemble Studios.

In Ensemble’s stead, Relic Entertainment is the studio making Age of Empires 4. Vancouver, Canada-based Relic is a highly regarded developer of real-time strategy titles, having made multiple games in franchises such as 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, 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,” Relic said in its own announcement.

Microsoft did not give a release window for Age of Empires 4. For more, check out the announcement trailer above, which consists of concept art for conquests from ancient Rome to the American Revolution.

Microsoft also announced today that Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, Forgotten Empires’ 4K remaster of the 20-year-old Age of Empires, will be released Oct. 19. It will be available exclusively on Windows 10 in the Windows Store. Microsoft unveiled the Definitive Edition during the PC Gaming Show at E3.

In addition, Microsoft is working on Definitive Edition updates for both Age of Empires 2 and Age of Empires 3. The former game was already re-released in 2013 as Age of Empires 2 HD, but the aforementioned Definitive Edition for the original game appears to be more of a from-the-ground-up remake than a simple remaster.