It’s been 25 years since a small studio in Dallas reimagined the ancient world through the lens of a real-time strategy game. Age of Empires echoed Monk wololos for our homes ever since: Parents thought their children were learning history. the children thought they were playing hide and seek. And veteran players know they were both right.
However, Age of Empires didn’t always get the love it does today. The rise of the Xbox saw PC gaming take a backseat to Microsoft: Communities like AoE’s were left to fend for themselves. In a very real way, it was the passion of these obsessives that led to Microsoft’s renewed attention and the release of the franchise’s latest entry, 2021’s Age of Empires IV.
All games continue to receive updates or DLC. The Age of Empires games are headed to Xbox and mobile devices, with cross-play so console gamers can get their hands on the RTS classic and play with their PC-loving friends. Also, Age of Mythology is finally getting a definitive version. Age IV is also building momentum, with an anniversary edition capping off a year of updates designed to appeal to players who found it a bit stripped back at launch. AoE is now a point of pride for real-time strategy and a shining jewel in Microsoft’s roster.
On October 25th, after attending the anniversary event—and enjoying a surprisingly skilled group of lute-wielding bards performing the series’ iconic score—I spoke with Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, and World’s Edge studio head Michael Mann. about the past and future of the franchise.
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
WIRED: So it’s the 25th anniversary of Age of Empires, and I know, Phil, you’ve been at Microsoft for over 30 years. You’ve seen this franchise evolve. But I think there was definitely a void, both for RTS and Age of Empires, where it just didn’t look good. Was there ever a moment where Microsoft was like, the age and genre of real-time strategy is over? And then the second part of that is, when and what shot it? When you were like, wow, is it worth paying attention to again?
Phil Spencer: So it’s a good thread to pull on this. I mean, what we saw with Age was less about genre, to be honest, and more about how the community kept playing. The games were still available for purchase and we just saw a vibrant community of people out there playing. And we didn’t actively engage with the community as Xbox. When the Xbox launched, I would say, unfortunately, we took our focus away from the PC and became more console-focused, which meant franchises like Flight Sim and Age – the communities were left to fend for themselves a bit. And as we evolved our game strategy, looking at players playing on any screen, we started looking at franchises in our portfolio where the communities were active, large enough, and really engaged with the game and interacting with each other. And Age was right there as one of those franchises.
So we had a chance to find a good partner. And going back to Age with Relic [Entertainment], a partner who knew the genre, we saw this as a great opportunity for us to really get to know the community where they were, with their love for Age. And I would say the same thing about the announcements about Agecoming to console just trying to show the community that we recognize their love for Age of Empires, what it means to so many people and I’m proud that now we can go up and do our our side as IP owners and franchise managers.
Michael Mann: I also want to congratulate Ensemble Studios — they created the franchise 25 years ago. I know World’s Edge is also enjoying the celebration. But I also want to reach out and say that Tony Goodman, Bruce Shelley, all of those people did an amazing job 25 years ago to build this franchise that we’re ambassadors for to continue.
