Best-Selling Age Franchise Tops
15 Million Mark
Age of Mythology: The Titans
Price Reduced to $19.95 on May 12
Microsoft Game Studios and Ensemble
Studios today announced that the award-winning Age franchise has sold over 15
million copies worldwide. The Age titles, comprised of the Age of Empires and
Age of Mythology series, have been consistently in NPD’s top ten sales charts
throughout the life of the franchise. According to NPD, Age of Mythology has
been a top 10 best-selling PC game title for 26 consecutive weeks, 18 months
after its initial ship date*. The latest Age release, Age of Mythology: The
Titans expansion pack, will reduce its estimated retail price on May 12 to
$19.95 (U.S.).
The Age franchise consists of three
series of hugely successful real-time strategy (RTS) games, all developed by
Ensemble Studios. Age of Empires, this first series, helped revolutionize the
RTS genre with its random maps and strategic gameplay elements. It also spawned
an expansion pack, Rise of Rome; as well as two compilations, Age of Empires:
Gold Edition and Age of Empires Collector’s Edition. Considered by many to be
the best RTS title ever, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings captivated gamers
with its compelling economic model, massive army and battle system, unequaled
artificial intelligence, intuitive gameplay and extreme attention to detail. The
Conquerors expansion pack added new civilizations, new technologies and new
campaigns to an already enthralling mixture. Age of Empires II and The
Conquerors expansion are also available in a Gold Edition. The third game in the
series, Age of Mythology, departed slightly from the Age of Empires series with
the addition of mythological units and powers. More information about these
titles is available at http://www.microsoft.com/games, or on the Ensemble
Studios site at
http://www.ensemblestudios.com/.
Ensemble Studios is one of the
world’s premier entertainment software developers. Ensemble Studios is best
known for its blockbuster Age of Empires game series. Ensemble’s titles are
distinguished by the highest-quality art and gameplay dynamics applied in
familiar historical settings, and appeal to hard-core gamers and mass audiences.
Ensemble Studios is based in Dallas, Texas.
Microsoft Game Studios is a leading
worldwide publisher and developer of games for the Xbox® video game system and
Windows® and online platforms. Comprising a network of top developers, Microsoft
Game Studios is committed to creating innovative and diverse games for Windows
(http://www.microsoft.com/games/), including such franchises as Age of Empires®,
Flight Simulator and Zoo Tycoon™; Xbox (http://www.xbox.com/), including such
franchises as Halo®, Project Gotham Racing and MechAssault; and Zone.com
(http://www.zone.com/), the official games channel for the MSN® network and home
to such hits as Bejeweled and OutSmart™.
*The NPD Group/NPD Techworld®, Week
of 9/28/03 – Week of 3/21/04. Based on total U.S. retail sales.
