Age of Empires V Reportedly in Early Development, Perhaps Utilizing Unreal engine
A fifth installment in the critically acclaimed Age of Empires real-time strategy series is reportedly under early development at World’s Edge, the Microsoft studio behind Age of Empires IV. The potential shift marks a meaningful departure for the franchise, which has historically relied on internally developed game engines.
Rumors of Age of Empires V gained traction following the discovery of job postings at Microsoft seeking a Principal Unreal Engine Gameplay Engineer for World’s Edge. A posting on the Microsoft Careers website (https://jobs.careers.microsoft.com/global/en/job/1887907/Principal-Unreal-Engineer%2C-Gameplay—world’s-Edge) further fueled speculation about a move to Unreal Engine.
Historically, Age of Empires titles have been built using proprietary engines. Switching to Unreal Engine could allow for substantial visual improvements and potentially streamline development for multiple platforms.
While the job postings don’t explicitly confirm a new Age of Empires title, the timing and specific skillset sought have led industry observers to believe a fifth main installment is in the works. It remains possible the roles are intended for a remaster or definitive edition of an existing Age of Empires game. Age of Empires IV, released in 2021, was the first mainline entry in over a decade.
