Age of Empires

1997 · Strategy · PC

Overview

Age of Empires applied the real-time strategy template to human history from the Stone Age through the Iron Age. Twelve playable civilisations with different bonuses competed over territory and resources in a game that added historical accuracy — specific unit types, real-world architecture, and tech trees reflecting actual civilisational development — to the genre.

Deep Dive

Age of Empires was developed by Ensemble Studios, founded specifically to make this game, with Microsoft providing publishing. Bruce Shelley, who had co-designed Civilization with Sid Meier, joined Ensemble as a lead designer. The game's aging system — civilisations advancing through historical epochs by researching technologies — created a narrative of progress that Civilization had established and Age of Empires adapted to real-time play.

Developer Story

Age of Empires was developed by Ensemble Studios, a new studio founded by Tony Goodman and supported by Microsoft. The team included Bruce Shelley, formerly of MicroProse. The game launched in October 1997.

Did You Know?

Age of Empires was designed with input from Bruce Shelley, who had previously co-designed Civilization — he brought historical strategy design experience that most RTS developers lacked.
The game's villagers — worker units who gathered resources and constructed buildings — were deliberately made autonomous enough to continue working without constant micromanagement, addressing a player complaint about earlier RTS games.
Ensemble Studios was founded in Dallas by Tony Goodman, Rick Goodman and Angelo Laudon; Microsoft published its games and bought the studio in 2001.
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, released in 1999, is considered superior to the original by most players and has sustained an active multiplayer community into the 2020s.