Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition was announced today. It is set to be released later this year for Xbox Game Pass for PC and Steam. The game will fully support cross-play between Windows 10 players and Steam users at launch. Forgotten Empires, Tantalus, and Wicked Witch developed the series and are hoping to attract a whole new player base for their game.
This release will contain all previously released content for Age of Empires II as well as brand new civilizations, additional campaign missions, new graphics and Xbox Live support for multiplayer. Also, the game will be receiving several quality-of-life upgrades, such as automatic farm reseeding and all-new achievements.
The game is adding “The Last Khans” campaign with three new scenarios for returning players to enjoy. New civilizations will be available including the Bulgarians, Cumans, Lithuanians, and Tatars bring the total number of available civilizations to 35.
The changes to the game are based on feedback that the community shared with the developers. As the community has grown, the developers have made it their mission to improve the game to the best of its states. They are hopeful that the new definitive edition and Age of Empires IV will continue to grow the community.
This release is in celebration for the 20th anniversary of the Age of Empires franchise. Rated as one of the most popular strategy games ever released it has remained a fan favorite over the years. In the games remastered state fans can revisit their favorite battles in stunning 4k graphics.
The update will also include a spectator mode allowing players to watch multiple games in real-time. This will add a new level of experience to watching the competitive tournaments of Age of Empires II. The spectator feature will allow viewers to alternate between multiple players views as well as providing a UI that shows player status.
This bundle of updates shows a real revival of the series and hopefully will reintegrate the game into the competitive scene. The game is no doubt going to show a revisited success and a new community that will form around it.
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition will cost $19.99 for new players and $14.99 for existing steam owners of Age of Empires II: HD Edition. The game will also be available on the Xbox Game Pass for PC members. Players who want to purchase the game with the Xbox Game Pass will find it on the Microsoft Store for a discounted price of $14.99.
