AstroNut325
Member
This is the most accurate reaction GIF in quite some time... at least for me in this specific instance!
Is this their commitment to PC gaming? Phil?
No, I think it was more. But what's important is the years..2008 the DD market was still barely starting. Today if a game like this would have 2 mln sales after 3 years, it could easily reach 4-5 mln in 5-6 years. Popular modern strategy games can easily get 5 years of strong sales if they're properly supported with add-ons and mod support. And every time an expansion pack lauches the sales of original game explode again, especially since every time it happens you can package it all into "Gold" bundles.The 2 million number from 2008 is 3 years after it released. How much more do you think it sold? Come on. We're talking tens of thousands of units most likely since then.
It also was lowest rated AoE ever, had lots of community hate and insane hardware requirements. And yet it still sold over 2 mln units and made a lot of profit.T
Bottom line, AoE3 had a lot of hype, it looked incredible visually (easily the best RTS graphics out at the time), it was a sequel to one of the best games ever, and despite all that it still only sold a little over 2 million units.
Citing the term "AAA" doesn't automatically mean that person is referring to consoles. Why would anyone talk about consoles in a thread about AoE.
Even aside from dragging a classic franchise through the mud and making it F2P, whats even the point of a Phone OS exclusive games? Is that even a factor when someone is looking to pick up a phone and decide on the OS?
Making it exclusive is just bizarre. I mean other MS products are available on iOS/Android devices, why are games different?
Age of Empires Online was perfect even though it bombed.
Sure there was only a few races to choose from but everything else was perfect. Great single player & co-op campaign, skirmish vs players/coms all for free (skirmishes against people/cpu were made free soon after the game launched).
Why that went away ill never know.
<3 the classic AoE stuff... this looks kind of like Clash of Clans which I guess I never really tried playing.
I must say being able to work with the Ensemble guys at Robot is one of the most rewarding things ever. These guys are so incredibly skilled and awesome at what they do. I love it.
Although I can understand everyone's disappointment at this game not being a full-blown AoE game, the knee jerk reaction to anything mobile is a bit too predictable around here. It could turn out to be a crappy cash grab, but it could turn out to be something decent as well, which isn't impossible for a mobile game.
You're waaaaaay off base with this:No, I think it was more. But what's important is the years..2008 the DD market was still barely starting. Today if a game like this would have 2 mln sales after 3 years, it could easily reach 4-5 mln in 5-6 years. Popular modern strategy games can easily get 5 years of strong sales if they're properly supported with add-ons and mod support. And every time an expansion pack lauches the sales of original game explode again, especially since every time it happens you can package it all into "Gold" bundles.
There's no way that happens. You realize much of the top 20 Steam best selling list is like tens of thousands of units? Your number here is way off. It has to be. It's also just referring to unit numbers. Five years later it's going to be selling for a fraction of the price.Today if a game like this would have 2 mln sales after 3 years, it could easily reach 4-5 mln in 5-6 years.
There's no proof at all that it made "a lot of profit". I'd bet money it didn't even break even, or barely did. It was a few years in development and a huge undertaking.It also was lowest rated AoE ever, had lots of community hate and insane hardware requirements. And yet it still sold over 2 mln units and made a lot of profit.
This statement right here is where I know you don't know what you're talking about... or at least the numbers you're stating. Starcraft 2 is 100% a AAA game that cost tens of millions to develop. At least 30-40 million, guaranteed. You're so off base here.If we're applying market standards there's no such thing as "AAA strategy game". Propably even Starcraft 2 didn't have big enough team and budget to hit that spot and AoE IV would cost fraction of what it took to make SC2
There's no proof at all that it made "a lot of profit". I'd bet money it didn't even break even, or barely did. It was a few years in development and a huge undertaking.
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There's no way that happens. You realize much of the top 20 Steam best selling list is like tens of thousands of units? .
30-40 mln barely classifies as AAA these days on consoles and Blizzard didn't spend another 30-40mln on marketing, which is what AAA titles do on consoles.This statement right here is where I know you don't know what you're talking about... or at least the numbers you're stating. Starcraft 2 is 100% a AAA game that cost tens of millions to develop. At least 30-40 million, guaranteed. You're so off base here.
AoE3 had incredible graphics when it came out, easily the best of the genre and one of the best looking PC games overall. And this is a game with a huge scope, 8 nations, tons of NPCs, animations, units, structures, a full campaign, multi-player. I'm certain it cost tens of millions to develop, at least 20 million.You seem to think PC development works like console one. It doesn't. It didn't have couple hundred people team working on it. And "few years in development"? Pretty much every pc game does that, including the low budget ones. In fact that's one of the reasons why they're cheap to make. A small team works more efficently than a big one. Even if it takes longer to make the game. A 25 person team working for 4 years will do more than 100 person team working for a year.
And you're seriously d underestimating the money those games made. Ensemble was consistently profitable studio for Microsoft, despite having multiple high profible projects being canceled far into development. So what was getting released (which was only AoE) had to be making a lot of profit to offset the costs sunked into canceled projects.
:lol30-40 mln barely classifies as AAA these days on consoles and Blizzard didn't spend another 30-40mln on marketing, which is what AAA titles do on consoles.
Well..I'm certain it cost a lot less. 20 mln was what they were spending on very high quality FPSes back then. With a lot higher detail level of everything and lavish singleplayer campaigns.AoE3 had incredible graphics when it came out, easily the best of the genre and one of the best looking PC games overall. And this is a game with a huge scope, 8 nations, tons of NPCs, animations, units, structures, a full campaign, multi-player. I'm certain it cost tens of millions to develop, at least 20 million.
Yeah releasing it on Windows Phone will definitely help it reach those numbers.
First lucas arts gave us star wars commander then this ?..
Although I can understand everyone's disappointment at this game not being a full-blown AoE game, the knee jerk reaction to anything mobile is a bit too predictable around here. It could turn out to be a crappy cash grab, but it could turn out to be something decent as well, which isn't impossible for a mobile game.
Yup. Nothing to tear me away from AoE II HD... whatever.Didnt even get excited. Knew it was mobile/tablet game before I even clicked the thread.
There's no proof at all that it made "a lot of profit". I'd bet money it didn't even break even, or barely did. It was a few years in development and a huge undertaking.
If people want to get even more depressed - I've learned that the folks who made this thing were some of the key staff members behind first Company of Heroes