Based on information revealed by employees affected by Microsoft's latest round of layoffs, we might have seen a brand-new entry in the Age of Empires series. However, with significant cuts to Microsoft's internal studio World’s Edge, this new title has likely been scrapped. The studio was previously responsible for coordinating recent remaster projects for the Age of Empires and Age of Mythology series. Currently, at least half of the studio's employees have been laid off, seemingly including key figures such as Adam Isgreen, and the studio has been placed under Activision. It appears that the highly anticipated new sequel to this beloved real-time strategy series has met its demise along with it.
This information was compiled and organized by X platform user Idle Sloth. He discovered that Adam Isgreen posted on LinkedIn stating that World’s Edge "had many excellent plans for future projects" before the layoffs; meanwhile, renowned developer Andrew Mates, formerly of Gearbox, also stated on LinkedIn that "our next project has been canceled."
While this doesn't definitively prove that the canceled project was a new Age of Empires title, all signs point to that conclusion. World’s Edge holds a unique position within the Xbox ecosystem—it is not a development studio itself, but rather Microsoft's internal management team responsible for operating the Age of Empires IP (which Microsoft has owned since 1997), coordinating multiple studios to develop series titles. When we interviewed Earnest Yuen, Executive Producer at World’s Edge, a few years ago, he explained: "From its inception, World’s Edge was positioned as the management studio for the Age of Empires IP, with an operational model somewhat similar to Marvel Studios!"
Over the past six years, World’s Edge has coordinated the remasters of Age of Empires II, Age of Empires III, Age of Empires IV, and Age of Mythology, as well as launched the Age of Empires mobile game. At its peak, up to eight studios were simultaneously involved in development, and the smooth progress of this cross-team collaboration relied heavily on the oversight of key talent like Adam Isgreen. Isgreen has been deeply involved in the real-time strategy genre since 1993, contributing to many industry benchmark titles such as Command & Conquer and Star Wars: Empire at War.
For a long time, players have hoped that these plans would eventually give rise to the highly anticipated Age of Empires V—a completely original mainline entry, not a remaster. When we interviewed Yuen in 2024, we asked, "It sounds like you now have the resources to create an entirely new mainline title?" He responded with considerable hesitation: "Well... I... we... personally, I certainly hope so..." Only after further probing did he relent: "Yes. Many people on the team do want to continue expanding the Age of Empires content. This is definitely a direction we want to pursue..." Before finishing his thought, he stopped himself and shifted the conversation to the upcoming release of Age of Mythology: Retold.
Media outlets have contacted Microsoft and former employees of World’s Edge to verify the authenticity of these rumors.