Talking about Age of Empires means talking about one of the most popular games of all time. The strategy saga has been captivating gamers for over two decades, more than enough time to leave a fond memory among everyone. How would you feel if we told you that now you can relive those times completely for free?
Microsoft has introduced a new free-to-play model for Age of Empires 3. To be precise, the legendary real-time strategy title will have a free model, but with the option to unlock all paid content through in-game purchases. Following the style of games like League of Legends, Microsoft aims to test if this new strategy can generate revenue for a well-established title.
To begin with, there will be rotations of civilizations available each week. This means that every seven days, three new civilizations out of the 16 existing ones will be accessible. These civilizations can be used in both single-player and multiplayer modes, with the restriction applying only for the given week. Regarding multiplayer, there will be 8 maps to choose from: Central Asia, Deccan, Great Plains, The Guianas, Northwest Territory, Malaysia, Mongolia, and Saguenay.
On the other hand, in the campaign, players will only be able to play the first act, “Blood, Ice and Steel” (Morgan Black’s campaign, for those who remember), while in cooperative mode, there will be a historical battle available, and players will have access to three evolution trees: Art of War, Compendium, and Technology.
We’ll have to wait and see if this new free-to-play mode suits the strategy game well. Personally, I believe it will perform better than some might expect.
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