More than 15 years have passed since the release of the last numbered Age of Empires, but we have finally learned the details about the upcoming return of the series. During the Fan Preview live broadcast on Saturday, the developers from Relic Entertainment presented a fresh trailer and revealed several new things about the upcoming Age of Empires IV, including a demo of one of the campaigns, as well as a show of new and updated civilizations.

Campaigns that send players into the thick of history have always been the focus of the Age of Empires series, and Relic takes that idea further. The game will feature four full-fledged campaigns, including one dedicated to the Norman conquest of England, which Relic introduced to viewers during the broadcast.

“The year 1066. Harold, King of the Anglo-Saxons, rules England. But his crown was promised to another contender, Duke William of Normandy. While Harold fends off Viking attacks from the north, Wilhelm crosses the English Channel, intending to seize the throne. Rivals will clash at the Battle of Hastings. But one battle cannot win a war. And the seized power is easy to lose. In the north, peasants revolt against a king they do not recognize. Northern feudal lords ally with the Vikings and capture the city of York. Wilhelm must act quickly to maintain control. His descendants will fight for the crown for many decades, causing bloodshed on both sides of the English Channel. Normandy is under siege. Civil war broke out. Claimants for the crown vie for control of England and France. The Norman conquests still echo throughout history. “, – tells us the description of this campaign.

English city in Age of Empires IV

The campaign includes many major battles throughout the history of the conflict and stretches over several years, showing the consequences of William’s victory in both England and France. The campaign will also take players to many different battlefields and locations, including picturesque French fields and rugged English castles.

During the presentation, the Relic studio also detailed some of the game civilizations, including one of the new ones – the Delhi Sultanate from India. It has several outstanding features, but the biggest highlight is, of course, the giant war elephants.

Army of the Delhi Sultanate in Age of Empires IV

According to the developers, one of the main goals of creating game civilizations in Age of Empires IV was to make them as different as possible. It’s about adding more complex and subtle game mechanics to each of the civilizations to make them feel unique.

One notable example of this approach is the Mongols, who are now able to collect entire cities and move them to a new location. This corresponds to the real nomadic way of life of the Mongols. But it also gives civilization completely new and unique mechanics. Playing as the Mongols, you can create a small city near the enemy base and use it to form troops in the blink of an eye, and then simply move the settlement when the situation becomes dangerous.

A mobile Mongol camp in Age of Empires IV

During a developer press interview a few weeks before Saturday’s live broadcast, Relic promised that Age of Empires IV will include eight playable civilizations at launch, just like Age of Empires III. Such a relatively small amount will help the team to make each civilization special while maintaining balance.

At the moment, it is known that the game will include the Chinese (this civilization was demonstrated separately at the last broadcast), the British, Indians and Mongols. Soon, the developers will present the rest of the civilizations, and after the launch of the strategy, the number of available playable nations will only expand.

Age of Empires IV is slated to launch on Windows 10 this year (no exact date has yet been announced). The game will also be available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers.