It’s easy for Age of Empires IV to look pretty compared to its predecessors.
Other games had higher priorities at Microsoft. Microsoft’s success with Age of Empires started in 1997, and the marriage of history and RTS generated so much revenue that, in addition to Microsoft Flight Simulator, it enabled a vast expansion in the company’s game investments and ultimately led to the debut of the Xbox game console in 2001.Īge of Empires and its sequels sold more than 20 million copies, but Microsoft shut down Ensemble Studios in 2009 during the Great Recession after attempts to branch out (think Halo Wars) met with limited success. Other startups working on RTS titles are Frost Giant Studios and SunSpear games.īut Age of Empires IV could exploit a much bigger opportunity in RTS for the mainstream.
Meanwhile, Eugen Systems has been doing a great job with World War II titles with its Steel Division series.
Sega’s The Creative Assembly has a thriving Total War series, with Total War: Warhammer III coming, Total War: Rome Remastered out, and Total War Saga: Troy, also in the market. While Microsoft’s Age of Empires franchise has been stalled since 2005 (with the exception of some retro remakes), other key players have been carrying the RTS flag.
