I know why they hate this game but if I post it the post will be deleted.
It related to political?
There is a conspiracy theory that AoE3 (and AoE3DE) might not be a legitimate sequel to the series
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If you’re referring to the comment before yours, the game was hated before that.
Yes, I had been complaining since 2020 that AoE 3 never appeared in RBW… I accepted it in 2020 because the game had just come out and it wasn’t optimized and balanced enough to be in RBW… then in 2021 the DLCs came out and since nothing about AoE 3 came out in RBW I got quite angry… in 2022 I got worse angry, because the entire saga came out in RBW for the 25th anniversary, even 1DE which has horrible pathfinding and 3DE was given a minor and unimportant tournament… and already in 2023 I resigned myself and thought they would put RBW in the back one… and now in 2024 Retold comes out and they put it right away in the first RBW… is it a joke?
Probably…you know…bad colonialism (AoE 3)=good feudalism (AoE 2/4)… 
This must be why…obviously AoE 2 players use this to rant about AoE 3…they read AoE 3 is not an “Age” game=cow poop… 
That is disheartening, I guess their idea of a sequel is to take the same game and add a bigger number to the title
I’m not saying that they should make any kind of content if it’s not profitable for them, or even make balance patches, but the least they can (and should) do is fix ALL the bugs in the game and if they allow a group of technicians and trusted volunteer players to make general balance in the game, it would be ideal.
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First of all there is no evidence of “not profitable”. I would not consider the top 10 RTS on steam as not profitable.
That’s an excuse to gaslight AOE3 players when they ask for basic respect.
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As a pure RTS genre, it is number 5.
I explain, when I write about “not profitable” and I mean that it may not generate enough profit for them.
Yes, many AoE 2 players wanted a colonial AoE 2…as they saw that it was more of a sequel to AoM and especially the decks went back to their old game… 
I’ve seen requests for a Chronicles DLC set in the colonial age.
Indeed.
Gah, the regurgitated articles where one guy from ES moaned about the game after it was released, because it didn’t reach the lofty standards of AOE2 in terms of response.
Bruce Shelley, the lead Designer on the game and the only moaner was extremely positive about the game during developement. The resulting game was a successful, good game. It wasn’t the AOE2-level evergreen, juggernaught they were hoping (some of the silly things like having to grind Home City levels to unlock cards were not ideal and probably didn’t help for players coming from AOE2 and AOM).
Bear in mind that:
• The actual quote is; “With Age of Empires 3 we tried all of these new ideas. I think it was a huge mistake.” As in, he thought adding in all the innovative features was the mistake, not the game. This is always my first bone of contention whenever that stupid article is brought up.
• Said innovation has since been finding its way from AOE3 to the other games now (you just have to look at AOEIV recently with their upcoming DLC).
• The game was successful and on average was rated above 80% on most review sites.
• The period between the last AOE3 expansion, Asian Dynasties (2007) and that article (2011) is tumultuous - Ensemble Studios announces it’s closing up shop after Halo Wars (2009) and the ES employees create new companies or join existing ones. Bruce Shelley, the father of the AOE series goes to work for Zynga games, who’s flagship game at the time in … Farmville.
Soooo, I always get the impression Bruce just got burnt-out by AOE (and Microsoft) and moved on to an easy gig.
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Yep but we must stand tall in the making!
Keep on modding, organizing events, tournaments, ideas, bugfixing and supporting the game
Having to climb the metropolis level by playing competitively, a metropolis system where perhaps there were many cards for players coming from other games, a campaign that left much to be desired (not being historical), the fact of limiting buildings due to the system in place, a very debatable 1v1 ranked lobby system (there was also quick match, but it could have been better made), a divided community with its first DLC, mechanics like the snare (which frustrate more players than you think) or the lack of readability in battles have been the main causes, in addition to a low number of civilizations (which yes, were more asymmetrical and also with a high learning curve, but many count the number) or improvable tutorials also have been the possible causes.
I guess they are the same ones who say AOE-3 doesn’t have a micro.
After ES closed in 2009-2010, Bruce Shelley developed the “Settlers 7” game.
He didn’t develop it. He was just a game design consultant - i.e phone calls, emails, maybe a visit to the (German) office. It was obviously more of a name/reputation thing for the European developers.
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I see you all speaking out under every AOE official tweet and in the YouTube comment sections—AOE3 players are everywhere, and I’m deeply moved by your passion. Every comment, every voice is proof that we are still here, and we are not backing down. Keep going, everyone—we’re in this together!
Let me make one thing clear: We are NOT being unreasonable. We are being forced to fight for the bare minimum.
We’re speaking up because there are STILL bugs that remain unfixed.
We’re speaking up because balance patches and basic game maintenance have been abandoned.
We’re speaking up because all we ask for is the simplest form of care—regular updates and small new content.
Is that too much to ask for? No. And we won’t be silent until AOE3 gets the respect it deserves.
I’ve seen many of you sharing this image—the one where The WE themselves promised us new content. Poland and Denmark—two civilizations we’ve dreamed about for over two years, only to watch them be delayed twice, and then killed off without warning—alongside the shocking announcement that AOE3 will no longer receive updates.
They broke their promises.
They ignored the community.
They silenced developers who wanted to engage with us.
Meanwhile, we—the players—spent two years imagining what these new civilizations could bring. What new mechanics might shake up the meta? What fresh stories might enrich the game’s world? Modders like myself hoped for new visual assets—small additions that could breathe life into our creations. But instead, they spat in our faces.
Let’s be clear:
THEY are the ones who lied.
THEY are the ones who betrayed us.
THEY are the ones who treat us with contempt—ignoring our voices while shutting the door on the game we love.
And yet, here we are—still here, still fighting.
If you don’t know what to say—use this image.
It is the ultimate reminder of their broken promises and their disdain for this community.
Every time they speak—throw it back at them.
Because we will not forget.
Because we will not be silenced.
Because we deserve better.
Keep speaking. Keep sharing. Let them feel the weight of their betrayal—over and over again.
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Let us fight the good fight!
I play AOE3 since its launch, I waited for a long time for a new and updated interface. All my children are adults and still enjoy playing AOEs on a weekly basis. PLEASE DO NOT ABANDON OUR GAME!
Let’s take it to a new generation of players.
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Now you can only watch it transfer the characteristics of AOE3 to AOE4, and then AOE4 players will say that it is much more distinctive than AOE2 (laughs)
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