Age of Empires II World Champion announced

South Korea's Byung Geon Kang emerged victorious after defeating Taiwan's Alex Wang in the final round of Microsoft's Age of Empires II: The Conquerors International Tournament yesterday in Redmond, Wash. Kang and 15 other champion players from around the world competed in the tournament for close to $100,000 in prizes, including a $50,000 grand prize.

"Age of Empires II is recognized as one of the leading multiplayer games in the world," said Stuart Moulder, general manager of PC Games at Microsoft Game Studios. "This tournament allows players from different cultures to come together with a sense of community that transcends geographical borders and highlights the worldwide popularity of real-time strategy games."

Age of Empires II: Age of Kings was developed by Ensemble Studios and released in 1999, and Age of Empires II: Age of Kings was released in August 2000. The Age of Empires franchise has sold more than 9 million units, making it one of the most popular computer game franchises ever.