This time, it’s an IP that we didn’t think would make the switch to Epic Games’ technology.
The Unreal Engine is one of the most widely used and supported engines, capable of providing gamers with good graphics and performance even when using Nvidia’s DLSS scaling technology. In the case of Age of Empires, the latest fourth installment has been criticized by many, from Reddit to Steam to the Age of Empires forums, and even Digital Foundry has pointed out that the game is not very strong visually.
Relic Entertainment’s technology, the Essence Engine, has appeared in several RTS titles (e.g. Company of Heroes, Total War: Warhammer…) and has no DLSS support. The only way to zoom in is with a mod that supports free camera handling, and then you can see how bad the visuals really are. The animations are bad, and that’s something that many fans have turned away from, so today Age of Empires IV is basically only played by those who focus on the multiplayer experience. The problem is that this is a tiny percentage of the audience.
Most fans are casual players who are into campaigns, skirmishes, scenarios, and co-op. They also need good graphics. That’s why the Sultan’s Ascend DLC was the best-selling DLC, because of the new campaign (made by Forgotten Empires) and the graphical improvements (e.g. water reflection). In the last Age of Empires survey (July, August) there were many questions about graphics (realistic or stylized, detailed textures, realistic weapon effects, weather effects, natural disasters…).
World’s Edge is looking for a Lead Engineer with at least six years of experience developing AAA games using Unreal Engine. So the studio Age of Empires is tied to will surely switch engines, otherwise they wouldn’t need a developer with this experience.
But this is not official. In any case, Unreal Engine 5 is spreading like wildfire, there’s no doubt about that.
