Microsoft Announces 'Age Of Empires IV'

A new of Age of Empires is in the works. Microsoft introduced a teaser trailer for the game, and announced that Relic Entertainment was tasked with developing the next installment in the real-time strategy series.

The short announcement trailer didn’t reveal any gameplay, with the studio opting instead to show artwork, but it did provide us with some information. Whereas previous games in the series focused on a small portion in history, Age of Empires IV seems to encompass multiple time periods. We saw the pinnacle of the Roman Empire, Native Americans charging toward battle, the banners of multiple Japanese clans during the Warring States period, and British redcoats ready to fire at a target.

This will be the first new title in the series since the closure of Ensemble Studios, which created the previous Age of Empires games, in 2009. Relic Entertainment has some connection with the series as the studio was founded in 1997 which was the same year as the release of first Age of Empires game. Relic also has years of experience with the real-time strategy genre under its belt thanks to its work on the Company of Heroes and Dawn of War franchises.

If you do plan to play the new game on release day, you will need to upgrade your PC to Windows 10. A release date for the new game wasn't mentioned, but we're bound to hear more about it soon. In addition to Age of Empires IV. Microsoft also announced that its previously revealed Age of Empires: Definitive Edition has a release date of October 19, and it didn’t stop there. The company also said that it will give the “Definitive Edition” treatment to Age of Empires II and III, and more news on those titles is coming in the future.