Age of Empires has been an exclusively PC-centric franchise in all the years that it’s been around, which isn’t surprising for a real-time strategy series, but that’s going to change very soon. Recent rumours have suggested that Age of Empires 4 and Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition will both be headed to Xbox soon, and Microsoft has now officially confirmed the same.
Both titles will be releasing for Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One in 2023, with Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition launching on January 31, 2023, and Age of Empires 4 following later in the year. A specific launch date for the latter hasn’t yet been confirmed.
Both games will feature support for mouse and keyboard gameplay on Xbox consoles, along with the option to enable cross-play and play via Xbox Cloud Gaming. Of course, like all first party Microsoft releases, both will also be available via Xbox Game Pass.
Xbox players can also expect a new tutorial and user interface designed specifically with console gameplay in mind.
“We knew that bringing the complexity of RTS to Xbox consoles was a massive task and one we had to approach carefully and thoughtfully,” writes Emma Bridle, director of customer voice at World’s Edge. “The team has been working hard to bring an experience that not only feels great using a controller, but also teaches players how to play on Xbox. A new tutorial designed specifically for controller input paired with a new user experience for console will help players get started. We’ve also added a new game AI which helps make resource management in a strategy game efficient and intuitive.”
The announcement was made during a recent livestream celebrating Age of Empires’ 25th anniversary, where Microsoft also unveiled Age of Mythology: Retold and Age of Empires Mobile.