It's only March but anticipation is already building for the stream of game announcements to be made through June. E3 itself may be a shadow of its former glory, but partners and publishers have replaced it with months of gaming events and reveals. In 2021, it seems those events are starting even earlier than normal. One of those early events looks to be related to Age of Empires, as Microsoft starts its summer events earlier than expected.
The report comes from GamesBeat's Jeff Grubb, who keeps an updated list of upcoming events on his Twitter account. Some of these events are publically announced, while many are just what he's heard behind the scenes. One of his latest editions is an item simply listed as "AOE," which will be held on April 10. Grubb has talked about potential Age of Empires news on multiple podcasts, leading many to believe Grubb thinks an Age of Empires reveal is coming up soon.
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As for what to expect at this Age of Empires reveal or event, all eyes are on Age of Empires 4. Little has been said about the in-development sequel to one of the most popular real-time strategy franchises of all time. All three prior games have had Definitive Editions released, meaning it's either Age of Empire 4 next or one of the game's spin-offs like Age of Mythology.
Microsoft has yet to officially confirm any such event, of course. While Grubb is historically a very reliable source for this kind of information, that doesn't mean that plans can't change or a mistake has been made. There's also the possibility that "AOE" means something else entirely. That's why this Age of Empires reveal should be considered a rumor until proven otherwise.
Age of Empires 4 is in development for PC.