Suggestion about the future of the franchise

Age of Empires IV IV - Discussion
1

Hello everyone,

I would like to propose a strategic vision for the future of the Age of Empires franchise. Currently, we have a vibrant, yet fragmented community: approximately 12,000 active players in Age 4 and 22,000 in Age 2. If we combined these player bases into a single game, it would jump into the Top 50 most played games on Steam, drastically increasing visibility and attracting new players.

My proposal is a gradual and logical transition to unify the titles on a definitive platform, based on 4 pillars:

  1. Legacy Engine (Classic Mode)
    Instead of simply migrating resources, the initial step would be to create a Legacy Engine within Age 4.

The idea: A game mode in Age 4 that exactly emulates the collection rates, projectile speed, and classic pathfinding of Age 2. This would allow veterans to feel “at home” with a modern look and optimized performance.

  1. Documentary-Style Campaigns
    Age 4 raised the bar for storytelling with its documentary style.

The idea: To release “Remaster Seasons” of iconic Age 2 campaigns (e.g., El Cid, Joan of Arc). Using Age 4’s real filming and narration technology to retell these stories, we add real value and justify the price of new expansions.

  1. Adapting Civilizations by “Archetypes”
    The challenge is to balance the more than 40 civilizations of Age 2 with the unique complexity of Age 4.

The idea: To group civilizations into “Archetypes.” Mesoamerican civilizations (Mayans, Aztecs, Incas), for example, would share a common mechanical base in Age 4, but would retain their specific bonuses and unique units from Age 2. This facilitates balancing and content migration.

  1. Unified Inventory System (Cross-buy DLC)
    To eliminate the financial barrier and encourage transition:

The idea: Anyone who owns a DLC or civilization in Age 2 automatically unlocks it in Age 4 (and vice versa). The player feels that their investment yields double, eliminating resistance to migration.

Conclusion and Logical Impact
I believe a unification project would take 1 to 2 years, but the result would be a modern RTS, with a massive player base and total focus from developers on a single source code, allowing for more frequent updates and a much stronger competitive landscape.

1 Like
The decline of AOE 2 DE
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And what about the remaining 10,000 (approximately)?

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Casual reminder that the AoE series does not only consist of AoE 2 and 4.

2 Likes
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Yes!Totally correct!

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Yes, that doesn’t seem like a bad ideas to me…

Yes, he forgot the 6000 from AoE 3 plus the 4000 from Retold, Online and AoE 1…

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I know there are other games, but I focused only on Age 2 and 4 because their gameplay is closer, and it would make more sense to combine them into one game instead of dividing the community into similar games.

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Yes, I feel that future Age of Empires games will take Age of Empires IV as an example and simply change the era…ancient, colonial, modern, etc…

3 Likes
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I think this is an appealing idea – in fact, if I was designing an AoE game from scratch, this is roughly how I’d approach the civ design. But this isn’t the approach that either AoE2 or AoE4 take currently, so what you’re proposing is actually a new game. And actually, you’re proposing two new games, since you have “classic mode” and presumably a standard mode:

There would obviously be no possibility of crossplay between this and the standard mode.

So I’m a bit confused how you think this proposal would result in combining the player bases. Some people would still play AoE2, some would still play AoE4, some would play the new thing, and some would play the new thing in classic mode.

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Central Objective
To consolidate the Age of Empires II (AoE2) and Age of Empires IV (AoE4) communities onto a single technological platform, eliminating player base fragmentation and maximizing franchise visibility on platforms like Steam and PC Game Pass.

Phase 1: The Centralized Hub (Unified Launcher)
The first step involves creating an “Age Hub.” Instead of separate games, the user downloads a single client.

Aggregate Metrics: Upon opening the game, Steam counts all users as “Playing Age of Empires,” which would consistently place the franchise in the Top 10 most played games, organically attracting new audiences.

Interface Choice: In the initial menu, the player chooses to load the AoE2 or AoE4 engine, but shares the same friends list, global chat, and ranking system.

Phase 2: Content Portability (Legacy Campaigns)
Initiate the technical transition by recreating the iconic AoE2 campaigns within the AoE4 game engine.

Preservation: Ensure that the design of the original missions is respected, functioning as a “bridge” of nostalgia.

Phase 3: Integration of Civilizations and Mechanics
Progressive migration of AoE2 civilizations to the AoE4 game system.

Technical Transition: The goal is not just “copy and paste,” but to adapt the unique balance of each civilization to the latest engine.

“Legacy” Mode: Implement a game mode within AoE4 that emulates the pace and rules of AoE2 (such as the faster-paced economy and the archer micromanagement system), facilitating adaptation for veterans.

Phase 4: Legacy Consolidation and Deactivation
Once 100% of the content (civilizations, maps, and campaigns) is available in the AoE4 engine, the original AoE2 is “retired” as a separate product; both will be permanently integrated into the new ecosystem.

Single Base: The community becomes one. World tournaments will have larger prize pools, as the audience and sponsorship will be concentrated in a single title.

Optimized Maintenance: The development team focuses all resources on a single source code, allowing for much faster updates and fixes.

Benefits:
The combined player bases would create a significant and consistent number on Steam, guaranteeing lifelong visibility.
The phased transition respects the adaptation time of the more conservative players in the AoE2 community.

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As you might know, Doom and Doom II did something similar a couple of years ago: they were rereleased as “Doom + Doom II”, with a sourceport designed to run more smoothly on modern systems, and a single launcher allowing players to start up either of them, or any of the official add-ons. Anyone who owned at least one of the two games on Steam (and probably on other platforms) automatically got access to this. There were a few key differences that made this work well, though:

  • Doom and Doom II use the same engine and have the same very low system requirements.
  • The original versions of both games are both still accessible to those who bought them before the rerelease – no one was forced to move over to the new launcher.
  • The file size of both games is very small.

Would this mean anyone who wants to play one of the two games would have to download both of them? If so, that’s a terrible idea. Why should I have to download AoE4 just to be able to play AoE2? (Or vice versa?)

Is this additional to AoE2, or does this “legacy mode” replace it? Either way, I fail to see the benefit of this.

What does “retired” mean? Would AoE2 become unplayable? Or just unplayable online? Or would only ranked multiplayer become unavailable? Or something else?

Sorry, maybe I’m misunderstanding, but overall this seems to me like a bad idea. The benefits seem minimal, and it seems certain to create a lot of discontent among players who play only one of the two games.