I’ve mentioned in another thread that other RTS titles on Steam like Northgard have Roadmaps of what to expect in the future. It would be nice if there would be more communication on this regard too for AOE2 if possible.
We know that CaptureAge is coming and that there are going to be DLCs according to this interview, but knowing when they’d drop or what is planned exactly would be nice and would definitely build up the hype.
I thought they are done with new civs, which were always the main reason of a DLC. So i am not really sure about new DLCs. Have read your source, but still dont know why you think we will get DLCs?!
The sales of AoE2 do not bring in enough money to support it indefinitely…
As I see it there are only 3 options:
(likely)
They will continue bugfixing/balancing with patches until Age4 drops or they consider the game good enough.
(unlikely)
They will somehow monetize AoE2 and continue supporting it for a long time with updates (such as other esport titles are handled).
(Very unlikely)
They will hand the development over to the community. A lot of the developers were community member who were working on the game in their free time, so that’s not completely impossible. But I doubt Microsoft will allow that.
There is one big issue: the servers
If Microsoft stops supporting Age2DE and closes the servers the multiplayer will die…
I think that AOE4 and AOE2 will live alongside. I honestly so far don’t see myself switching definitely to AOE4 considering the infinite replayability of AOE2.
AOE4 will also come with way less civs than AOE2 and those are one of the main reasons alongside gameplay that I enjoy AOE2 so much.
This comes with the assumption that AOE4 is not terrible, which is definitely a possibility with Relics latest track record
We -> the players <- have been playing Age2 for 20 years and did not switch to another game. And we will probably want to do so for the next 20 years.
But they -> the producers and developers <- make games to make money. Even if their passionate about the game, they do it for a living and paychecks need to be paid. If Microsoft thinks they can make money (in some way) by supporting the game they might continue. If they think they can’t then they won’t.
I think Age2DE is there to set a good example and get people hyped for Age4.
Age4 will probably cost 59$-69$ and be released on windows and Xbox and be heavily marketed. That is where Microsoft will make some money…
Yes, I would also like to stick with Age2 until the end of time … But in the end Microsoft will be deciding the fate of the game…
That’s not how sales work. It requires resources to update the game i.e. human resource which in turn requires money (cost). So how will you have the game being constantly updated with a single purchase? We’re thankful that AoE 2 DE doesn’t have any microtransactions.
I don’t think Microsoft will use the money earned from AoE 4 to keep AoE 2 DE alive. It would be the same case as Starcraft 2 where if the AoE 4 wouldn’t flop, this game will definitely be under maintenance mode. The good news is that AoE 2 DE community is growing so somehow it still has to fund its own servers and esports tournaments.
If bugs will be fix and civs will be balanced then we have fully perfect game ( i am dreaming about it ) only microsofts work will provide servers which need less people i think? They can manage this with donations from players?