14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft teased an important Age of Empires IV event for April 10, which was expected to shed more light on what's coming for strategy fans. True to its promise, Microsoft revealed a lot of new information about the next installment in the Age of Empires series.
First off, fans of the series will be pleased to learn that they will have no less than four single-player campaigns to tackle in Age of Empires IV. The name of the first campaign is Norman Conquest and it's been revealed during April's Fan Preview event over the weekend.
While the first campaign is heavily inspired by real events described in documents, it's quite different than everything that the series has to offer currently. As Microsoft depicts it more appropriately, “it's very BBC documentary style-inspired.”
Obviously, the Norman Conquest campaign will tell the story of Duke William of Normandy, as he's trying to prevent England's King Harold from taking control of his country. The new gameplay footage presented during the event shows all the classic medieval units, including knights and pikemen.
This time around, each civilization presented in the game is unique not just visually, but also when it comes to the military aspect. For example, the Chinese identity is immediately apparent, with unique architecture and costuming, period-accurate language, and military units clad in traditional garb.
As far as the release date goes, Microsoft was once again a bit vague, but at least we know Age of Empires IV will be out sometime this Fall. Not only that, but Microsoft also announced that a closed beta will be available before launch.
In other news, Age of Empires: Definitive Editions will receive new updates soon. For example, the Dawn of the Dukes expansion will be out this Summer for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, which will add new campaigns and a bucketload of improvements. On top of that, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition will get co-op historical battles, which will feature handpicked campaign missions and historical battles to play with friends.
Last but not least, Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition will receive a major update on April 13, which will bring the United States civilization to players. The US civilization will be free for a limited time for those who complete a 50 State Challenge. All players must complete up to 3 challenges per day to unlock the civilization on the completion of the last challenger. Or it can be purchased via Steam for $5.