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Let’s be honest: the real-time strategy (RTS) genre is nowhere near its peak in the current era if you compare it to the late 1990s. We had games such asCommand of Conquer,Age of Empires, andStarCraftwhich dominated the gaming world then.
However, in today’s day and age, these games feel like nothing more than forgotten ancient relics. According to one of the developers of the ex-Age of Empires, the genre needs a wake-up call and evolution. However, not every gamer agrees with this view.
Age of Empiresdev believes RTS genre must evolve and move
While chatting on theVideoGamer Podcast, developer Dave Pottinger, who has worked on legendary games such asAge of Mythology,Age of Empires, andHalo Wars, opened up about the history of the RTS genre and how it has lost its throne in the last couple of years.
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According to him, one of the biggest issues with the RTS genre right now is the fact that it relies on a formula that worked over 20 years ago instead of catering to today’s generation of gamers.
If you look atall the RTS games that have been released lately, you’ll agree that Pottinger is right. Most of the games in this genre still rely on what worked decades ago.Stormgatewas meant to be a revolutionary game, but it ended up proving to be a disaster.
Why did the game fail? Well, it’s due to the fact that the developers at Frost Giant Studios hailed from Blizzard, and they wanted to create an RTS similar toWarcraft IIandStarCraft.
While many in the community agree with Pottinger’s view on the state of RTS genre, others disagree, citing the other issues that plague the development of these games.
Pottinger is currently working on a brand new IP dubbed“Project Citadel”with Last Keep Games. Let’s hope the developer’s upcoming game can finally bring the necessary innovations and help the genre leap ahead.
The nextAge of Empiresmight use Unreal Engine
Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5 is becoming an industry normas of late. We’ve seen many developers choosing to move away from their own in-house built engines in favor of it, and it’s not surprising considering the features it brings to the table.
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It seems like even theAge of Empireswill follow the same path. A joblistingfor a Principal Build Lead Engineer at World’s Edge, which is a support studio forAge of Empires, has kicked off rumors suggesting a switch to Unreal Engine 5 in the future.
Among the many requirements for the position are more than six years of experience in AAA-scale Unreal Engine development and a deep understanding of the engine and its asset management system.
World’s Edge has only worked onAge of Empiresgames so far, so it’s not that hard to imagine that one of the best RTS games out there might use Unreal Engine 5 for its next entry.
With that said, do you agree with theAge of Empiresdeveloper on the state of RTS games? Let us know in the comments below.
Dhruv Bhatnagar
Articles Published :1195
With over 4 years of experience in content writing and more than 1,000 articles published for FandomWire, Dhruv is a seasoned writer when it comes to the gaming space. He’s deeply passionate about titles such as GTA Online, Forza Horizon, and Pokémon Go, committed to bringing readers deep dives and latest updates.
