It's now been four years since players were graced with the fourth entry in the acclaimed Age of Empires series, the first new mainline game in over a decade, if we exclude remasters and remakes. And it doesn't seem like Microsoft intends to stop anytime soon. According to new rumours, the studio is once again hard at work. A fifth game is said to be in early production, allegedly using Unreal Engine, a claim further supported by a handful of job listings recently posted by Microsoft.
Traditionally, Age of Empires has always relied on internally developed engines, so if Unreal really is the path they've chosen, it marks a fascinating shift for the franchise. It would also signal a strong ambition to deliver a major visual upgrade, not to mention the added benefit of easier cross-platform development.
Of course, there's always the possibility that these job listings don't point to a completely new title but rather a remaster or remake of one of the older titles. But we're keeping our fingers crossed for a fresh instalment in the form of Age of Empires V.