Microsoft has revealed that Age of Empires IV (AoE IV) and Age of Empires II (AoE II) are coming to Xbox consoles in 2023.
The tech giant says Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, first released in 2019 on PC, will make its way to Xbox on January 31st, 2023. On the other hand, Age of Empires IV will hit Microsoft’s consoles later in 2023 and doesn’t have a specific release date yet.
We heard your pleas, and we agree that now is the perfect time—we're aging up and heading to the console age!
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and Age of Empires IV are coming to Xbox consoles and xCloud in 2023. Check out the trailer and mark your calendar! #AoE25 pic.twitter.com/YXpTKHCDaf
— Age of Empires (@AgeOfEmpires) October 25, 2022
Microsoft says that fans of the Age of Empires (AoE) series have been asking for the franchise to come to consoles, Starcraft 64 style, so it listened.
“We keep our players at the heart of what we do and pay close attention to what they tell us. So, after hearing requests for Age of Empires to make its Xbox debut, we heard and you we agreed,” wrote Microsoft in a recent press release.
According to Microsoft, AoE II has been brought to Xbox “carefully and thoughtfully” to ensure they feel great “using a controller.” The game features a new tutorial designed explicitly for controller input. Developer World’s Edge says it has also created a new in-game AI that aims to make in-game resource management more “efficient and intuitive.”
For long-time Age of Empires fans that would likely rather play AoE II and IV with a mouse and keyboard, Microsoft says that it has ensured this input is supported in the console version of the classic real-time strategy title. Further, AoE II will be crossplay across Xbox/PC and is coming to Xbox Cloud Gaming.
It’s unclear if AoE IV will get the same console treatment as AoE II regarding controller and mouse/keyboard support, but it’s likely, given that it’s the higher profile release. It’s also still unknown if “Xbox consoles” means just the Xbox Series S/X or the entire Xbox One family of systems.
As someone who really enjoyed Age of Empires IV but gave up on the title because it didn’t look great on my old gaming PC, I’m looking forward to the game coming to Xbox consoles.
During Microsoft’s Age of Empires 25th anniversary stream, the company also confirmed that Age of Mythology is getting a remaster and that the AoE series is coming to mobile.
For more on Age of Empire IV, check out my in-depth look at the game and my interview with the developers behind the title at Vancouver-based Relic.
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