Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition News

Make Your Mark On History With New Steam Bundle

Relive the march of history! Join the many generations of players who have experienced one of the most beloved franchises, spanning twenty years and leaving a legacy of historical adventures. Remember where it all started with your favorite civilizations and relive the campaigns you know and love. Add the ultimate compilation in the next installment of real-time strategy gaming. With high-fidelity graphics and featuring recently released content, the new Age of Empires Anthology delivers it all. It not only includes titles from the past, but gamers can battle it out in new game modes, discover new civilizations, and enjoy the updated graphics.

In addition to your favorite titles from the past, also included in the anthology is the new Age of Empires IV – Digital Deluxe Edition, with special access to the official Age of Empires IV soundtrack, Unit Counters Chart, an art compilation from digital painter Craig Mullins, and exclusive in-game content. With both familiar and innovative new ways to expand your empire in stunning 4K visual fidelity, Age of Empires IV brings an evolved real-time strategy game to a new generation. Play eight diverse civilizations, four distinct campaigns with legendary historical figures, 8-player multiplayer modes, and a tutorial system designed for first-time players.

Age of Empires Anthology titles included:

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, plus the new “Dawn of the Dukes” and “Lords of the West” expansions
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, plus the new “The African Royals” expansion
Age of Empires IV – Digital Deluxe Edition

*Please note: the Anthology does not include the Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition – United States Civilization.

This unforgettable anthology is an unrivaled compilation with hundreds of hours of real-time strategy fun that will stand the test of time, and is available NOW on the Steam Store!

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/22390/

Age of Empires 4 will teach history via unlockable live action video shorts

Age of Empires IV is still on track for its October release. With plenty of details regarding gameplay and launch civilisations now known, Microsoft and World's Edge have started looking at some of the RTS game's other features.

A major talking point for Age of Empires IV for most of the year is how the game comes with over three hours' worth of documentary footage - much of it live action - that mainly serves as flashy introduction to the game's four story campaigns. Another use for the footage was revealed during Microsoft's GamesCom showcase - a series of 28 unlockable videos labelled 'Hands on History'.

Viewers were treated to one of the shorts that looks in-depth at the Trebuchet, presented by mechanical engineer Dr. Shini Somara. All of the videos in this series will explore various aspects of medieval life, giving players "a deeper look into the way people lived, fought and ruled in the past." Each one will use real-life footage shot on-location at various places around the world, all presented by subject matter experts.

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Age of Empires IV at gamescom 2021: Hands on History and New Updates

Hands on History

Today during the gamescom 2021 Xbox Stream, the Age of Empires team revealed an exciting storytelling element from the upcoming Age of Empires IV, Hands on History. This series of twenty-eight unlockable videos was filmed on location with experts around the world, and give players a deeper look into the way people lived, fought and ruled in the past. Age of Empires IV will bring history to life like never before, with Hands on History telling more stories as players build, battle and Age up!

Fans got an exclusive first look at one of the videos today, highlighting everyone’s favorite medieval weapon – the trebuchet! Shot on location at Warwick Castle in England with Mechanical Engineer Dr. Shini Somara, players saw a full-scale trebuchet in action with insight into how this weapon of war worked.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNAp-SO6CvQ

Gamescom 2021 Trailer

As part of gamescom Opening Night Live, the Age of Empires IV team gave a first look at the remaining launch civilizations and campaigns; The Rus, The Holy Roman Empire, The Rise of Moscow and The Mongol Empire.

At launch, players will get to build and expand Moscow over time. The Rus’ skills in hunting, trade and construction combined with a battle-ready cavalry will see them become more powerful as they expand to new frontiers through the Ages. The Opening Night Live trailer showcased two unique units, the Streltsy and Warrior Monks (wololo!). The Streltsy’s combination of axe and gunpowder partnered with the conversion capabilities of Warrior Monks will make a Rus army a force to be reckoned with.

The Holy Roman Empire’s civilization is shaped by a powerful infantry army and early access to religious units. Seen in today’s trailer, their Prelate unit supports and heals, inspiring nearby armies to grant benefits. The two-handed sword of the Landsknecht will be an asset to any battle.

Relic Entertainment will be going live later on Friday to recap the week, chat with the Age of Empires team and answer community questions. Tune in at https://www.twitch.tv/relicentertainment on August 27, 2021 at 4:15 PM PDT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUKSBTeJ7bs
Want to learn more about Age of Empires IV? Head to the Age of Empires website to deep dive on the civilizations, learn more about the campaigns and join the conversation. The game is available for pre-order now on Steam and will be playable starting October 28!
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Age of Empires Anthology Bundle

This week we also released the newest Steam bundle: the Age of Empires Anthology!
Age of Empires Anthology titles included:

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, plus the new “Dawn of the Dukes” and “Lords of the West” expansions
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, plus the new “The African Royals” expansion
Age of Empires IV – Digital Deluxe Edition

*Please note: the Anthology does not include the Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition – United States Civilization.
Buy Now

Gamescom Award

Congratulations to the Age of Empires IV team on a win for the Best Strategy Game award at Gamescom!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUKSBTeJ7bs

Age of Empires 4 isn't out yet, but fans are already deciding what DLC they want first

The Age of Empires IV closed beta is giving people a taste of what's to come as we get closer to the October release date, but even though the highly anticipated RTS game isn't out yet, fans are already deciding which Age of Empires IV civs they'd like to see next in terms of DLC now that we know what the launch options will be.

One poll on the official Age of Empires forums lists out 18 options, and voters have the ability to pick up to nine. The choices could be a little more defined - regions such as South Europe and North Asia are not as easy to parse as South East Asia and North America. There is a list of examples below the poll that denote a known civilisation from a region, although again not all of these are as accurate as they could be.

With a couple of hundred votes in total at the time of writing, South Europe leads the poll with 36%, followed by Mesoamerica with 34%.

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Age of Empires 4: release date, system requirements, and everything else we know

When is Age of Empires 4's release date? Well we've got some good news and some great news. The good news is, we know it's coming in the autumn. The great news is, we know exactly when it's coming, thanks to an announcement during Microsoft's press conference during E3 2021.

With the previous Age of Empires game landing over a decade ago, anticipation for a new entry in the classic RTS game series couldn't be higher if you placed it atop a saddled war elephant and marched it towards an enemy base.

News was slow for the new entry, but thankfully things are picking up: a fan preview broadcast in early 2021 blew the lid on Age of Empires 4 and gave us a ton of new information to work with, and now the recent Microsoft press conference has given us more, including a Steam page. We have rounded as much Age of Empires IV news as possible, so that you're on the same page as us. We'll keep this article updated as and when new information comes to light, but feel free to let us know if there's something important you think we've missed.

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