Microsoft Announced Age of Empires Definitive Edition

they also teased us about an announcement at 2017 Gamescom , will it be the AOE IV ?

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• 4K graphics
• remastered soundtrack,
• new zoom levels
• improved gameplay

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I was so excited when the reveal started, then so disappointed that it was a damn remaster. BUT - it does look like a very good remaster, and I will buy it and play it.

Wololololo

@MonsieurX: huh. I sure i was wearing a red shirt a moment ago... *shrugs*

I doubt this is the end , let's wait for gamescom

@the_master_race: here's hoping. We're long overdue an age 4

Judging by the graphics this is more remake than remaster. I mean they moved from 2D sprites to 3D models.

Damn, Age of Empires is my all time favourite RTS game. It just has the most interesting setting and gameplay.

BUT... I don't have windows 10 :(

PC gets remasters!!!

I upgraded my windows to 10 about a year ago , It's not the best OS ever but I like it

Dunno when it comes to games it's just not needed.

I mean not a single game on steam required windows 10... Which means Age of Empires isn't coming to steam.

Which means that's a big shame. Because it'll never reach its full potential then. I mean between this and a year I'll have Win10.

And yeah with Age of Empires IV surely being in production now that's 2 reasons I need windows 10 !

I actually got excited yesterday at the MS briefing for a second I thought the Assassins' Creed trailer was a new Age of Empires lol.

Is this the original and not AoEII?

Ass Creed is in ancient Egypt

Age of Empires has ancient Egypt

Strange brigade is set in mythological Egypt

This E3 is all about Egypt !

Age of Empires II was already remastered years ago and got a bunch of new expansions.

If they make an AoE 4, it will probably be like more modern times with bombers, submarines and EMPs.

Age of Empires was always set in history, that is what set it apart from C&C or Starcraft.

It seems silly to do that.

If anything I can see AOE 4 playing like Age of Empires II.

@R4gn4r0k: WW2 and even yesterday are a part of history.

Seems like a big jump from colonisation of america to modern day warfare, if you ask me.

@the_master_race: I'm surprised this isn't a PC exclusive. It should be.

Ha, so did I.

It better come to Steam/W7....

I won't.

Microsoft except security, Office updates, wants nothing to do with Windows 7/8

They recently put Halo Wars on Steam/W7, so it's possible.

So, is this on Steam?

Halo Wars is different from Halo Wars 2.

Rise of Nations covered that already.

Hype!

Still waiting for AoE 4.

So what? It's a recently released PC game from MS. HW2 is supposedly also coming to Steam: http://wccftech.com/halo-wars-2-steam-pc/

These aren't hugely popular titles like mainline Halo or Forza, so it's not surprising if they come to W7 and Steam. The same happened to QB last year.

@R4gn4r0k: AoE 3 was about the colonization of America. Maybe the next one could be about the Wild West? I'm not sure what else you could do without going back and having it set during time periods of the other games.

Sweet I will get this.

The first one definitely needed an update.

I've been told its been remastered to 4k which i kinda hope its not. Not everyone owns a 4K screen or a graphics card that goes that far.

It looks nice, but i wouldn't mind the star wars battlegrounds remastered

It is.

It's not at the moment.

But the official site says it is coming to Windows 7.

So yeah let's hope it's not Win 10/Windows store exclusice :)

@R4gn4r0k:

http://www.pcgamer.com/phil-spencer-interview-we-have-work-to-go-do-on-improving-the-windows-store-uwp/

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I'll wrap up with a nice one. Tell me a little bit behind the process behind how Microsoft decided to bring Age of Empires back. Had it been kicking around for a long time?

I want to give Shannon Loftis a ton of credit. Shannon's been in Microsoft Studios for a long time, and is somebody I've worked with and have a ton of respect for.

There's some franchises... it's interesting, as we're investing more in our first party, and we've looking at new IP in some of our existing franchises and things that do really well, Age is just one of those things that year after year on Steam, we see it continue to sell, even though the infrastructure that's underneath the game is creaking a little bit. The community's been there supporting it.

She said, you know, this is something we should bring onto our modern platform. Make it visually more up to speed. You're obviously not going to take that game and completely make it a 4K game and everything, but make it look something closer to modern. Support some of the Live features that we have. And then let's think about where this franchise can actually go.

We own it, so maybe it seems like we're talking about ourselves a little bit, but I think it's one of the important franchises in gaming, and I think it deserves a future.

It's the 20th anniversary. So this could be the start of the renaissance? That's how you feel about it?

I do. And I think the interesting thing is the community's been out there kind of supporting this game without us. And shame on us, right?

They crashed the website today.

[Laughs] I'm really excited. They crashed our website? I actually didn't see that.

Straight off the reveal. They had it back up quickly.

Good! Good. I was involved... I started working with Ensemble on Age 3, I think was the first one I as a studio manager was working with them on. That was a studio that had some real vision in what they wanted to do with this mix of history and RTS coming together. I think it's one of those franchises that deserves a great future.

Looks cool... probably get it, but didn't they come out with a remastered edition a couple years ago already?

@the_master_race: Really glad Spencer is at the helm of MS Studios.

Back when that clown Don Mattrick was head he canceled the AOE franchise and shut down Ensemble (something I still hate MS for).

Spencer is still trying to clean up the mess that Mattrick made... And I applaud him for that.

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Shame he didn't mention Windows 7/Windows 10/Windows store/steam for the new AOE though.

well , they released Halo Wars: Definitive Edition on steam , so don't lose your hope

But see they screwed over people twice now.

Quantum break was Windows store exclusive, then came to steam

Halo Wars was Windows store exclusive, also came to steam.

People that bought the Windows store version asked for a steam key and MS just ignored them. That doesn't really build customer good faith, in fact it makes people not buy the Windows store version and just wait for a steam version.

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Why can't we just have a situation where if you buy the game on widows 7 or windows 10 or Windows store or Steam we can just all play together ?

So, Age of Empires: Online 2?

MS wants to promote their store and they think , putting good exclusives on their store is the way to do it rather than Improving their service , well this strategy didn't work and It ain't gonna work

Yeah it's a shame for the developers themselves, because they just want their games to be enjoyed by as many as possible.

But that ain't happening because many people are avoiding the Windows Store like the plague (and there has been so much negative news surrounding it)

But there is still hope left.

On the official AOE site it says that it'll work on Windows 7 too, so perhaps they aim to bring it to Steam/win 7 too ? Who knows :)

I may get this, to me AOE 1 and 2 are the best RTS ever.

That doesn't matter - it will work fine on other resolutions :-)

you can upscale to 4K/DSR and AOE ain't that demanding

I still can't believe this is a remaster and not a remake. This looks insane:

Also, it's made by Forgotten Empires (they made the unofficial expansion to Age 2 before being hired by Microsoft)

Every single one of their games are on steam...

Definitely have this on my radar.

It seems like Bill gates is involved in this; www.businessinsider.fr/us/bill-gates-jokes-about-new-age-of-empires-from-microsoft-2017-6/

AoE IV might happen..

Yeah this remaster looks incredible.

If anything, I will most likely get it when it comes out, not only because I want it. But also because this is how remasters should look like.

Yeah I remember that Reddit interview :)

I'm sure Bill Gates was present when his company thrived and many classic games were made like Age of Empires

aoe 2 is better

http://store.steampowered.com/app/221380/Age_of_Empires_II_HD/

Not necessarily as good as a remaster as the one mentioned in the thread.