Age of Empires IV in development by Relic, Company of Heroes dev

It has been 12 years since the release of the last Age of Empires game. And now, finally, Microsoft has announced Age of Empires IV, in development by Relic Entertainment.

One of the hottest announcements of this year’s gamescom is undoubtedly Age of Empires IV, the next installment in this cult strategy series from Microsoft Studios. Unlike the first three core games, which were brought by Ensemble Studios, the fourth one is being developed by Relic Entertainment, true veterans of the RTS genre, whose portfolio includes such hits as Company of Heroes, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and first two Homeworld games. The team is very excited about the chance to deal with that legendary series, which they wrote about on their official website.

Unlike Age of Empires III (can you imagine it launched in 2005?), which focused on the conquest of the New World, Age of Empires IV will guide the players through all ages and settings, from ancient Greece and Rome, to Medieval Europe and Japan, to early modern age. However, that’s all we know for now. The developer shared no more details, including the estimated release date and target platforms (although PC is an obvious guess).

In other Age of Empires news, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition has been given a release date – the remastered version of the cult classic is coming out for PC on October 19, 2017. Head over to this website to sign up for the closed beta. Moreover, Microsoft has announced that both Age of Empires II and III are getting a “Definitive Edition” treatment by Forgotten Empires as well.