Age of Empires is likely one of the most recognised real-time technique video games on this planet – so it’s little shock that the IP is coming to cell.
To make it occur, World’s Edge, which oversees the franchise, has partnered with Tencent’s TiMi Studio, developer of one of the crucial profitable cell video games ever in Honor of Kings. It’s additionally labored on big video games licences, together with Name of Responsibility: Cellular and Pokémon Unite.
The title can be a free-to-play entry within the collection, with pre-registrations accessible throughout North America, South America, Europe, MENA and Southeast Asia. The title will embrace “components of real-time technique” gameplay that the collection is legendary for, whereas combining it with 4X technique, a style that has confirmed profitable on cell.
Age of Cellular
An analogous title referred to as Return to Empire has already been launched in China, with AppMagic information estimating lifetime gross income of roughly $94 million so far on iOS. The determine doesn’t embrace information from third-party Android shops within the nation.
Chatting with PocketGamer.biz, TiMi Studio Group GM Brayden Fan states that whereas that Return to Empire and the worldwide model of Age of Empires Cellular “share some traditional artwork property and distinctive mechanics which have already been verified by numerous gamers”, they’ve been “separate titles from the start”, with totally different recreation design philosophies and ideas.
“Age of Empires Cellular will place extra emphasis on Age franchise content material and catering to the wants of world gamers,” says Fan.
“One other large distinction is that Age of Empires Cellular won’t reset gamers’ progress after every season, so gamers will be capable of progress and develop unimpeded.
“By way of improvement, Return to Empire was developed by TiMi Studio Group and authorised by World’s Edge, whereas Age of Empires Cellular has been co-developed by TiMi Studio Group and World’s Edge.”
TiMi is likely one of the world’s most profitable cell builders and homes greater than 5,000 employees working throughout a number of groups throughout workplaces in Shenzhen, Chengdu and Shanghai. TiMi’s Age of Empires workforce relies within the Shanghai studio, with 100 builders engaged on the title – not together with the workforce at World’s Edge.
A unique expertise
Whereas TiMi has had success throughout genres, RTS video games have traditionally been difficult to convey to the cell house. And as a longstanding RTS franchise, Age of Empires has a fanbase that expects the traditional gameplay the IP is understood for. So how are TiMi and World’s Edge adapting the sport for cell and the way will it differ from PC?
The gameplay and controls are customized constructed for cell play, which requires a a lot totally different method from a PC recreation.
Robin Xin, TiMi Studio
Age of Empires Cellular producer Robin Xin admits that Age of Empires is an iconic franchise, for which they’re delivering a brand new expertise for, stated to be necessitated to suit onto a cell gadget.
“Age of Empires Cellular is a simulated struggle technique recreation from the Age of Empires universe that mixes RTS components with quick fight, base constructing, social competitors, and historic heroes for a brand new strategy to expertise the epic battles of historical past,” says Xin.
“The gameplay and controls are customized constructed for cell play, which requires a a lot totally different method from a PC recreation. We want to ensure the consumer interface is clear and easy sufficient to handle on a telephone.
“One factor that we need to assist gamers do is focus extra on their total strategic planning, so we’ve lowered the variety of fight items gamers want to manage without delay, in addition to the frequency of operations required to handle their army would possibly.
“We’ve additionally augmented our gameplay and can introduce numerous single-player missions. A few of these can be based mostly on the RTS gameplay you recognize, whereas there’s others that can supply new technique mechanics.
“And we do assume our multiplayer modes add additional distinction, notably the epic siege wars which might be on the coronary heart of our alliance gameplay. Right here, you’ll be a part of with different gamers and cooperate to realize final victory in competitions towards different large participant alliances.”
Xin says that Age of Empires Cellular will allow “large battles” of hundreds of gamers on the identical display, with an emphasis on pre-battle technique and planning – which sounds lots like a 4K technique title.
“With greater than 10,000 gamers on a single server, we hope gamers a virtually MMO-feel to our in-game world as effectively,” says Xin.
Age of Empires Cellular has simply surpassed a million pre-registrations. It’s at present accessible in beta within the Philippines, France, and Indonesia.
The title is ready for a world launch later this 12 months, with the App Retailer web page claiming an August nineteenth, 2024 launch date.
