Mobile Age of Empires Conquers China
Return to Empire, the mobile spin-off of the Age of Empires series, has barely debuted in the Chinese market, and it has already become one of the most popular titles in the country.
Last year we wrote about the emerging mobile installment of the Age of Empires series. The gamew has recently hit the market and immediately became a success, As reported by an analyst specializing in the Asian market, Daniel Ahmad from Niko Partners group.
The success of the mobile Age of Empires
The game is currently available only on the Chinese market, where it is titled Return to Empire.
- The game debuted yesterday on iOS devices and instantly reached the first place of the most downloaded games in the Chinese App Store.
- The game also entered the top 10 of the highest-grossing mobile iOS productions in China.
- The project was developed by studio TiMi, a part of Tencent.
- This is Tencent's first hit in the strategy game category.
- Analysts believe that the reason for its success is largely due to the depth identified with the Age of Empires brand. Marketing is focused on this aspect and more freedom of gameplay than in other mobile strategies.
- For now, it is unknown whether the game will be released outside Asia.
Mobile strategies are very popular in China. So far, the most popular games in this category were Three Kingdoms: Strategy, Immortal Conquest, Rise of Kingdoms and Civilization & Conquest. However, none of these titles was released under Tencent's banner. The company has been trying to break into this market for several years and only now has it succeeded.
Celeste, or free Age of Empires Online
We do not know whether Return to Empire will leave Asia, but right now on PC you can play another free incarnation of the brand. We are talking about the project Celeste, a mod for the abandoned Age of Empires Online. Its servers were closed long ago, but the installer is still available, so in practice, we get a fully free real-time strategy.
Celeste not only restores the game's online features, but also thoroughly improves them. All free-to-play mechanics have been removed. Every item must be unlocked with gameplay, and the grind required to do so has been heavily mitigated. The gameplay balance was also improved, bugs were removed and new content was introduced. The project offers a ton of single-player missions and excellent multiplayer.
- Age of Empires Online Celeste Fan Project - download page (Authors gave us permission to host a mirror)
- Age of Empires Online - game installer
