https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/job/627767/Navigation-Programmer
Do you love Real Time Strategy games? Do you hate it when your gatherer units get stuck to trees or wander off to enjoy the scenery? We sure do. If you do and are a skilled software engineer with the proven ability to keep our gatherers in-line and on task the Age of Empires franchise wants your help!
We’re looking for a Software Engineer to join our team to drive the navigation systems for Age of Empires. If successful you will closely collaborate with design and engineering teams globally and focus on developing a cutting edge RTS specific navigation solution for Age of Empires engine for use in Age IV and anything beyond, as well as offering support and guidance to help improve navigation in our older Age of Empires titles. You should have experience building cutting edge RTS navigation solutions and be keeping up with, if not pushing, what the state of the art in the field of navigation is.
Correction: further information suggests AoE4 will use Relic’s Essence Engine (probably 5.0 version) and not own engine built from ground up as can be read here: AoE4 to be designed as GaaS, to use Relic's Essence Engine and gameplay likely to include squads
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So AoE IV is sill work in progress, seems just started on May 16th.
@IamDalv It’s official. You’re an insider. Please keep us in the loop buddy 
How the ■■■■ you know such minor details??? It is amazing.
@MSTFA786 maybe they have spend all this time making a robust engine? Sound effects? Gameplay ideas? Replaying games and seeing what mechanics holds up to today’s standard. Game making is not easy dude. I only worked in my college project, and i thought 4 months was a less time to make game. My group started in Day 1, and we still had so many bugs, and ideas that were shelved for sake of a due date.
Respect them. They are burning money, and they know it, and only way to get any sort of return is through a proper game that is beloved, and revolutionary. Otherwise you and I will be the first to hold a pitchfork.
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And maybe Relic want avoid navigation and pathfinding problems like in the first Definitive Edition.
It could be the coarse gameplay and navigation elements are done and now they focus on details, on making the game “smoother”.
(Anyway, I think we get the game 2020 or 2021)
mhm I think 2021 sounds a pretty far distant prediction tbh, considering that it was announced in 2017, that Relic has mentioned 2019 will be an important year for them, and that they recently started looking for brand lead and marketing manager.
Also, I keep in mind the interview of Bruce Shelley that @IamDalv brought us a year ago .
Where he says at some point on why he is not working on aoe4:
"I really enjoyed the time with Age of Empires, but you know - with age, priorities shift. (…) I could not move all the way to Vancouver two years or so to develop an Age 4. (…) I enjoy closing time at seven, vacationing, exploring African countries (…) things that are incompatible with a AAA title
So if I understand correctly, Bruce Shelley thinks that 2 years or so would be a reasonable developing period for a new AAA RTS title, and specifically a new Age title. I think there are not many people out there more eligible to give a prediction on that matter.
So, I would say early in 2020 or even maybe later in 2019(?) sound more possible.
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