Age of Empires II is one of the most well-loved strategy games of all time. Microsoft’s acclaimed RTS initially released sixteen years ago, and became a bestselling hit. In 2013, the classic title was brought up-to-date, with the remastered Age of Empires II: HD releasing for PC as a Steam exclusive.

The re-release was commercially successful, although there was some criticism over the lack of new features in the HD remake at launch. Nonetheless, the game proved popular, and the development team at Hidden Path Entertainment persevered with additional content in the form of game expansion The Forgotten, with the assistance of Skybox Labs. It looks as though the Age of Empires II: HD experience isn’t over just yet, though, as another expansion pack has just been announced, coming later this year.

The news was revealed over on the Steam Community page for Age of Empires II: HD, although details about the additional content are fairly vague at the moment. The post shared a teaser image from the development team, revealing one of the new units being worked on for the expansion. More details will be revealed about the project over the coming year, so fans should keep their eyes peeled for development blogs with updates.

A handful of important facts were revealed about the upcoming expansion, however, including the fact that the add-on will include at least one new civilization. Indeed, fans were told to watch out for an update soon detailing the first of these new empires. The same team that created The Forgotten expansion will develop the new DLC, and players can look forward to new campaigns, units, and game modes. Those looking forward to a more traditional Age of Empires experience will also benefit from the expansion, in the form of “additional support and features” for the core game.

The news was revealed alongside an overview of a recent update to Age of Empires II: HD, with a number of tweaks to the main game. A “team together” option on real-world maps improves the 2v2 gameplay mechanics, whilst the team lock checkbox will now work better with scenario games. Meanwhile, attempts have been made to improve PC performance, and players should see an improvement when large numbers of units are in action.

Although the initial HD remake was not without its flaws, The Forgotten additional content pack brought a lot to the table. Indeed, The Forgotten felt closer to what fans may have expected from a true remastered edition of Microsoft's classic, instead of the near-straight port of the original game. Hopefully, the new, as-yet unnamed expansion pack will continue this trend – and with the development team showing no signs of giving up on Age of Empires II: HD, there’s every chance that the new add-on content will be a worthwhile addition to the Age of Empires II core game.

The new Age of Empires II: HD expansion will release later this year.

Source: Steam