World’s Edge is an unusual developer. The Redmond-based studio is not the developer of the Age of Empires series in the truest sense of the word, but rather the newly founded guiding hand of the legendary RTS franchise. The team was put together in early 2019 under the stewardship of Shannon Loftis. With around 40 team members, World’s Edge help orchestrate a more global and inclusive development project that puts the cultural influences video game series to best practice. With this melting pot of talent and countries, World’s Edge is ready to help shape the future of Age of Empires. Partnerships with two indie studios, Forgotten Empires and Tantalus Media, helped shape three new definitive editions of old games. Just before World’s Edge was founded, the first Age of Empires received an upgrade in 2018 that helped revitalise the 1997 original. With 4K output, a visual overhaul, and much-needed quality of life updates, the new edition also parcelled in The Rise of Rome expansion to make this the best version of the original game. A year after this release, World’s Edge was founded and its first project was to oversee and assist in the development of Definitive Editions of the second and third games. Again, the development teams and World’s Edge bundled in all the extra expansions and added campaigns, boosted the resolution and visuals, and made quality of life adjustments where possible. The pair were released in 2019 and 2020 on Windows, providing a great foundation for audiences excited for the next major new project from World’s Edge. SEGA’s Relic Entertainment was entrusted with finally developing Age of Empires IV. The game was announced in 2017, with a four-year wait until release in late 2021. This marks Age of Empires’ first major release since World’s Edge was formed as its caretaker.
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