It’ s my personal opinion but i think that all World’s Edge Is moving on Unreal Engine because It’s a very know Engine into Xbox studios with mastera of development (coalition) which could help a lot with It.
Unreal Engine Is the most supported Engine in the world and the most spectular, allowing developers to implement excelent graphic and very good performance with DLSS.
Now, AOE4 graphic has been one of the most critized aspect of the game in every community (from reddit to steam, to the ageofempires forum) and also in many professionale review (included Digital foundry).
The main problem Is the Essence Engine by RELIC Entertainment that It has been implemented for different type of RTS (Company of Heroes and Warhammer) and It doesn’t support DLSS.
Artistic choices of Relic art directory (Sclappy, if i Remember well) to make a game too much coloured with exagerered weapons, low textures on units (this Is the reason why you can’t zoom in on them too see battles more close. You are able to zoom in only With a “free camera mod” that’s a Total mess) and bad animations (destructions of siege weapons or chickens and horses in the stables) alienated the most of fans. After the launch and After One year of critics the most of threads on often community are related to e-sport. Basically the only players who are actually playing the game are multiplayer gamers.
Unfortunately and despite of what streamers wanna share, the multiplayer fans are the Little percent of the base of AOE. The most of fans (where developers gain) are casual Who play only With campaigns, skirmish, scenarios and co-op and It has been confirmed by Forgotten Empires in the lastest interview about the upcoming “Battle of Greece” DLC for Aoe2de. For casual gamers graphic Is really important too because It helps a lot with immersion.
This Is the reason why the Sultan’s Ascend has been the most sold DLC in the history of AOE: new campaign (made by Forgotten Empires), new graphic improvements (water reflections) and Better stories to told.
In the lastest AOE survey (july or August) ther were many questions about graphic (realistic or stylized, High detailed textures, realistic weapons impact, wheater effects, Natural disaster and more).
So It seems also Developers listened all critica about graphic and they are looking for Better improvents.
Unreal Engine seems the right choice for all of these reasons and also because Relic Entertainment, After the lastest layoffs and the sold by Sega, are not involved on AOE4 anymore or in very Little percent. I think the upcoming and confirmed DLC in 2025 there Will be the latest for the AOE4 or World’s Edge with Forgotten Empires could redone all Aoe4 in Unreal Engine.
But what It seems Is that next titles Will probably run on Unreal Engine.
Cross fingers for a new game set in the ancient times.
