Launching in 2021, Age of Empires 4 continued the popular strategy franchise on PC. Microsoft has also made a surprise announcement for fans of the series at Gamescom.
Age of Empires 4 is now available for Xbox consoles worldwide. This release marks another major shadow-drop from Xbox, continuing the trend of surprise releases.
Why it matters: This is a major release for fans of real-time strategy games on consoles, bringing the genre to millions of console users.
While Age of Empires 4 was already part of Xbox Game Pass on PC, the title has joined the subscription service and Xbox consoles.
Microsoft confirms it is now available to download for Xbox One and Series S|X owners. Unsurprisingly, the experience will be slightly different for each console.
The higher-end Xbox Series S|X consoles target 1080p and 4K resolution, respectively. On the other hand, the Xbox One supports 900p, and the Xbox One X can run Age of Empires 4 at 1440p.
This difference also exists in the frame rate, with the Xbox Series S|X targeting 60FPS, while the last-generation consoles will run the game at 30FPS.
Previously, Xbox experimented with shadow drops in January.
Hi-Fi Rush was released on the market without much marketing, but it became a standout success for the gaming giant.
This may have motivated Xbox to take a similar approach with Age of Empires 4, using the popularity and viewership of Gamescom to release the game during Opening Night Live.
While the game did not receive much marketing, Age of Empires has existed for over two decades. Therefore, it has already made a name for itself, making a shadow drop a safer option for the real-time-strategy title.
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