And the grave wasn’t even cold yet! I figured last month that it was “tough seeing where Microsoft will find the will (or developers) to try making another game using the [Age of Empires] brand any time soon”. Silly me, limiting my considerations to actual Age of Empires games.
I totally overlooked the potential for shitty mobile games on digital stores nobody buys games on.
Hey, if it works for EA it can work for Microsoft too, right?
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33 responses to “Microsoft Digs Up The Corpse Of Age Of Empires”
Do people on desktops buy games from the Windows Store? Because they sure as hell aren’t going to recoup development costs on Win Phone 8.
There were articles last year on many sites and again in April this year that a new AoE (AoE: World Domination) game was coming to Android, iOS and WP. IT was supposed to be released “this summer”, summer presumably being for the northern hemisphere. So I am confused as to what is going on. Is this a completely different game only for WP or have the plans for the game on Android and iOS been shelved?
I’ve brought a few games on it. I find the Microsoft Store and app stores in general are better than Steam for smaller casual games even if developers are shameless about micro-transactions. As apps small games tend to be simple but functional and due to the simplicity the rip-offs are usually as good or better than the originals. However on Steam similar sized projects tend to be indy and draw from the same few points of inspiration only without the budget to make them properly. If most of them were released in the era they’re drawing inspiration from they’d be considered half baked knock-offs.
Although when I play games from the Windows Store it’s generally free stuff to kill time with on the Surface Pro and Lumia 1520 rather than my desktop. If this game were $5 I’d probably give it a shot, but seeing as they offer paid speed boosts I’m guessing it’s free in a brokenly slow state in order to sell gems or whatever that speed it up to the point where it breaks from being too fast.
I’m loving the HD AoM I picked up during the steam sales. Moar old skool games released in HD, that’s what I want. I don’t care if it’s Age of Empires, Quake or Half-Life (stick Blecchh Mesa up your arse).
Wow… thanks for insulting my entire family as users of both Windows 8 and Windows Phone… there’s no way those millions of Windows Phone users are buying anything… A+ journalism.
How is he insulting windows phone users? He’s insulting mobile games sure, and app stores sure, but how’s it targeting windows phones? Or their users for that matter?
I thought: “I totally overlooked the potential for shitty mobile games on digital stores nobody buys games on.” was clear enough.
It’s still not taking a shot at the users though? Like Freeze has stated below WP are a minority market share and it’s probably more likely Plunkett is pissed off that such a beloved franchise is now limited to a small part of the market as opposed to insulting WP users.
I think he’s referring to Phone games in general.
You’re right. This new age of empires game for mobile that we just saw looks like a groundbreaking take on an old classic, sticking strongly to its roots while bringing upgrades to the nostalgic gameplay that we all fell in love with. It doesn’t look like a typical shitty mobile game from an old franchise that drives people to say things like the above. Not in the slightest, I mean its not like we’ve seen this before right? Right?!
http://www.kotaku.com.au/2014/02/a-cancer-thats-eroding-the-market-reactions-to-eas-dungeon-keeper/
Microsoft isn’t your prom date, you don’t need to defend its honour.
These games *do* look pretty shitty, and he’s only being slightly hyperbolic by saying ‘no one’ will pay for them. WP8 is a tiny sliver of the smartphone pie, and most of its numbers are coming from developing markets, where users less readily pay for apps and games. The maths just don’t work out in your favour.
My wife will no doubt get it for her windows phone.
WP8 has a 3% marketshare. So a small percentage of a small percentage of people will buy it. It’s not a money fountain in any sense of the phrase. Nothing wrong with you using it but it’s hardly top of the food chain.
Edit: That said the swearing was a bit unnecessary and always found it somewhat jarring in the articles but I’ve long since stopped expecting anything else.
What I find a little ridiculous though is the idea that “how dare MS only put their game on MS devices”… one second it’s complaining W8/WP8 doesn’t have enough apps the next Giz/Kot are slamming them for making exclusives (granted likely a CoC clone)
It’s just childish, possibly like my frustration 😛
At least we can all agree to laugh at BlackBerry owners.
*runs out in tears*
Freeze you nasty horrible person you haha
Blackberry is the Milhouse of phones.
Fuck… really? fucking hell… just… ugh.
This and the Warcraft 4 article earlier today really makes me want more new proper RTS games. Age of Mythology 2, perhaps.
Aren’t the guys behind Act of War making a new game? I guess that’s something to look forward to… Man I’d even give anything for a new Warhammer or 40K RTS!! =[
Don’t compare this with Warcraft. This is clearly a Clash of Clans clone. Looks like they added the ability to move your forces around and that’s about it.
What they should do is remake Halo Wars in a not broken fashion and release it for Windows 8.
I’d buy it. Provided it wasn’t broken, that is.
Played company of heroes? Man that game is stella!
=(
really doesn’t surprise me. Cashing in on the Clash of Clan Bullshit. Micro Transaction turd games.
Hopefully we will see another good entry in the series at some point. If you told me 2 years ago Microsoft would revive Killer Instinct and it was actually a solid game, I would have called you a liar.
Well, it has gotta be better than Age of Empires 2 HD, which didn’t work at all for me (crashes during the tutorial…)
Works fine for me under Windows 8? Didn’t have to screw around at all, just launches off Steam.
I answered “no” to all of the questions in the trailer because I’m not a siege genius or an empire building prodigy, having had no real experience in such matters. I wonder of if I could still play the game though.
“Microsoft shits on the corpse of age of empires” Fixed.
I read the title as “minecraft digs up age of empires” ….confusion followed.
I wish that Microsoft would release an Age of Empires 4, with excellent graphics, and none of this freemium rubbish (which I presume that the game will have).