Microsoft will begin Season 7 for its historical RTS game Age of Empires IV next week. Today, it revealed what will be coming in the next free update for the game, which includes a feature many people have been waiting on for some time.
In a blog post, Microsoft stated the Age of Empires IV 10.0.576 update will finally add cross-play support. The game first launched for PC in 2021 and made its way to the Xbox Series S and X consoles in mid-2023. Next week"s update will let players on both platforms take on each other on virtual battlefields.
In addition to cross-play support, Xbox players will also get access to Team Ranked mode. The Quick Match mode will have some improvements as well. Players will be able to queue for 8 Player free for all matches and the Nomad Game Mode will be a new option.
The change log for the Age of Empires IV 10.0.576 update also shows a ton of general and specific changes and bug fixes. There are also some AI and UI tweaks, balance changes, and a number of improvements for many of the in-game civilizations.
The patch notes come ahead of the Season 7 update, which will include new map lists for the Ranked and Team Ranked pools. There will also be new in-game rewards for ranked matches, and a spring tournament that will include its own in-game items to win.
Microsoft announced a few weeks ago that a total of 50 million players have joined in playing games in the entire Age of Empires franchise. Later this week, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition will get a new expansion pack, Victors and Vanquished, and we can expect the launch of Age of Mythology: Retold and Age of Empires Mobile later in 2024.