Age of Empires: Online

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Summary

Age of Empires Online is a multiplayer online real-time strategy title created by Robot Entertainment and Gas Powered Games, launching on August 16, 2011. Drawing from the gameplay of the Age of Empires franchise, it was initially crafted by Robot Entertainment, but on February 24, 2011, Gas Powered Games assumed development. Microsoft was responsible for publishing the game. The title was free-to-play, allowing users to play at no cost, with optional premium content available through purchase or in-game earnings, including exclusive items, blueprints, additional quests, and features. On March 27, 2012, the game launched on Steam following a significant update that addressed player concerns about an "MMO-like grind," introduced the Celtic civilization, and added numerous new features. By June 15, 2012, the premium content system was revised to allow players to buy all past and future content using "Empire points," which could be earned in-game or bought with real money. As of January 3, 2013, Microsoft halted further development of the game. A Microsoft representative later posted on forums that the Games for Windows – Live Marketplace would close on August 22, 2013, limiting access to current or former players. In September 2013, it was confirmed that the game would remain operational until July 1, 2014, when the service would be officially shut down. The decision was attributed to the high cost of maintaining the content. In 2017, Age of Empires Online was revived using Microsoft's publicly released developer kit and is now hosted on a server emulator called "Project Celeste." The game is free to play in both single-player and multiplayer modes with all online features active. In May 2019, the team announced they were working on Microsoft's unreleased Roman civilization for play, based on all available data before the official servers were closed. The civilization was completed and released on March 14, 2021.

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