Age of Empires: Castle Siege is Shutting Down

Published: November 14, 2018 4:10 PM /

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Today, Microsoft announced that on May 13th, 2019, Age of Empires: Castle Siege's matchmaking services would be shut down. Players will also no longer be able to download or play the title after that date.

“For Smoking Gun Interactive, it has been an honor to work on Age of Empires: Castle Siege and we are truly sad to see that this is coming to an end. The team really enjoyed working on this title and had many exciting ideas on where to take it, but unfortunately that was just not possible,” said John Johnson, CEO of Smoking Gun Interactive. “We hold dear the wonderful years we’ve shared with our players and that experience will remain with us forever. You all made this game very successful and we thank you for that and are grateful for the opportunity from Microsoft to have worked on such a beloved franchise.”
In-game Gold is no longer purchasable, but players will be able to continue earning Gold from trade routes until the game is closed. Those who have bought Gold since May 8, 2018, will be able to get a refund, and any players that want to spend their Gold will be able to until May 13, 2019.

The forums will be available until Dec 13, 2018, and after that, they will be archived. For players looking for Age of Empires news, Microsoft is supposed to announce more information on Age of Empires II Definitive Edition and Age of Empires III Definitive Edition relatively soon, along with Age of Empires IV.


Quick Take

Good. I've never been a fan of cheapening franchises for an easy buck, and with Microsoft's low sales this console generation, it truly looks as though they are trying to get their gaming sector back on track. Now all they have to do is either disband their Store (which they won't do), or fix it (which they will try to do). If they choose option two, Microsoft needs to beat Steam, and to do that they need to innovate. Offer in-home streaming for those with a subscription, offer movies, and stay competitive in areas that they quite frankly should have already been competing in, to begin with. Mods, allowing people to install games wherever they want, easily accessible communities... it's a long list, but if they do it right then Steam will finally have another competitor, which the industry has sorely needed for some time.

Are you an Age of Empires fan? Let us know in the comments!

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A very unflattering picture of my tired face.
| Staff Writer

Patrick is a former Staff Writer for TechRaptor and has been gaming on every console he could get since he could hold a controller. He’s been writing for… More about Patrick