Microsoft
Age of Empires is coming to consoles and Mythology returns for the series’ 25th anniversary
In celebration of its 25th anniversary, the beloved RTS franchise brings two of its greatest titles to consoles for the first time ever, and they’re also bringing Age of Mythology back.
During the Age of Empires 25th Anniversary Celebration live stream today, Microsoft revealed a couple or huge announcements for fans of the RTS games: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and Age of Empires IV are both coming to consoles in 2023. And as if that wasn’t enough, the legendary spinoff Age of Mythology is also on its way.
The first game to arrive will be Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition on January 31st, 2023. This version of the game is the amazing remasterization of the original that was released on PC in 2019, and since then it has received almost forty updates and three DLC packs that added new civilizations to play as and full campaigns.
The game will be available on Xbox Series X|S with the full lineup of content. This means 83 maps, 42 playable civilizations in multiplayer, 34 single player campaigns, 10 multiplayer modes and 7 coop campaigns. And all of this with full controller support, although the devs have mentioned that the console version will have full keyboard and mouse functionality. With this, it is also possible to play in optional crossplay between PC and Xbox.
Further on in 2023, Age of Empires IV will launch on Xbox Series X|S at an unspecified date. While the stream didn’t reveal many details about it, it is expected that the console version will come with all of the same content available on PC right now. We’ll have to wait until Microsoft shares more information next year.
Both games will come to the Microsoft Store and to Xbox Game Pass, so fans will have plenty of chances to enjoy these classic titles.
Gods will return with Age of Mythology: Retold
Before the stream was over, Microsoft had one last surprise regarding the series: the epic spin-off of the series that introduced gods, monsters and heroes to the RTS formula is receiving an update, and will launch in the future as Age of Mythology: Retold.
“Gods will return. Heroes will rise. Legends will battle. Age of Mythology Retold is in production!” said Michael Mann, Studio Head at World’s Edge. “We know that the Age of Mythology community has been hopefully waiting for a Definitive Edition, and we’ll be delivering. We’re working hard to bring you the glory of the original game with updated graphics, features and more. Stay tuned for more news.”
Source | Xbox