Age of Empires fans know it’s been a long struggle to get a version of the game on mobile. However, a new contender will emerge soon. World’s Edge has revealed new details for the upcoming game Age of Empires mobile during the “New Year, New Age” event on Friday, and it looks like the game includes most of what you’d get in the regular console or PC version.
The free-to-play game is being developed by Tencent-owned TiMi Studio Group, which is a work in progress Call of Duty mobile with Activision, along with Xbox-owned studio World’s Edge. Age of Empires mobile is now available for pre-registration at iOS And Android worldwide. There’s no word yet on a release date (although the iOS page says it’s expected on August 19), but it’s expected to release later in 2024.
The announcement claims so Age of Empires mobile will recreate much of the gameplay fans are familiar with, such as fast-paced combat, real-time strategy, base building and online PvP multiplayer, but with controls optimized for mobile devices, players will be able to build teams with some famous leaders from history and beyond the Age of Empires franchise, such as Julius Caesar, King Arthur, Hannibal, Joan of Arc, Cleopatra and more. Developers promise that players will be able to compete against many other people online, just as they would in the regular versions (although they can also play solo).
“We grew up playing Age of Empires on our PCs and believe we can deliver a new, yet equally exciting experience for mobile players,” said Brayden Fan, general manager of TiMi, in a press release.
This isn’t the first time Microsoft has tried to release a mobile version of the game. In June 2013, Microsoft tried its hand at mobile game development, with one of its first projects being an Age of Empires mobile game. The IP was licensed to KLabGames, which would develop a free-to-play version for iOS and Android (and later for Windows Phone, if you really want to date the announcement). This became Age of Empires: World Dominationwhich was released in December 2015, but closed in November 2016, so it didn’t even last a year.
Microsoft had also tried a few times to make a free-to-play version of Age of Empires. First there was Age of Empires online, an MMO real-time strategy game released in 2011. It was free to download, but contained premium content that was not reasonably priced. This, combined with the lack of available content in general, made the game unwatchable. Microsoft Studios executive producer Kevin Perry said at a 2013 GDC talk that it was “an okay game, but with a poor free-to-play business model,” so it didn’t last long either. There was too Age of Empires: Castle Siege from 2014, a tower defense game designed specifically for touchscreens on Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone, although it later came to Android and iOS. It was also free to play with microtransactions. It lasted a little longer than the others, but was shut down in 2019.
Image: World’s Edge/Xbox Game Studios
There is currently a China-only mobile game on Android Return to the realmwhich was also developed by TiMi Studio. Age of Empires mobile will be similar to the Chinese version, but in a statement to Polygon, Fan said that these are different games for different audiences, and that the newer title will have World’s Edge’s direct involvement; Return to the realm doesn’t.
“Age of Empires Mobile will offer new concepts and designs including more single-player narrative content, more elements from the original Age of Empires franchise, an enhanced new player experience and significant differences to the core gameplay that we expect will keep global players engaged for a long time to come,” he said. “We will also create tailor-made in-game activities and events for players so they feel like the game fits well with their local play styles and preferences.”
Microsoft’s mobile strategy lately has focused on making cloud gaming viable on smartphones and tablets. However, with the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft can now leverage the resources of King (developers of Candy Crush Saga), ZeniMax and other studios to strengthen that part of their portfolio. So with new resources, a long history of free-to-play failures, and the involvement of a studio with mobile development successes, maybe Age of Empires mobile will stick this time.