Microsoft’s Recent Layoffs Could Spell the End for a New Age of Empires Title

Piecing together insights from those affected by Microsoft’s recent layoffs, it appears we were on the verge of a new entry in the Age of Empires series. However, with the significant downsizing of the internal studio World’s Edge, which managed the recent remasters of Age of Empires and Age of Mythology, those plans may have been dashed. The studio has reportedly lost at least half of its workforce, including key personnel like Adam Isgreen, and is now being integrated into Activision’s structure, casting doubt on the future of this beloved RTS franchise.

This information has been compiled by a user on X, who highlighted that Adam Isgreen mentioned on LinkedIn that World’s Edge had “some great plans for what’s next” prior to the layoffs. Additionally, Andrew Martz, known for his work at Gearbox, indicated on his LinkedIn that “our next project was cancelled.”

UPDATE | A new Age of Empires game has been shelved due to the layoffs

Adam Isgreen (formerly Studio Creative Director): “We had some great plans for what’s next – and I hope the team that remains can rise to the occasion down the line.”

Andrew Martz (Senior Software Engineer)

While this doesn’t definitively confirm a new Age of Empires title, the clues certainly suggest it. World’s Edge was established as a unique entity within Xbox, not as a traditional development studio but as a management team for the Age of Empires franchise, which Microsoft has owned since 1997. They coordinated efforts across multiple studios working on the series. In a conversation with World’s Edge executive producer Earnest Yu a couple of years back, he explained that the studio was designed to manage the franchise similarly to how Marvel Studios operates.

Over the past six years, World’s Edge has overseen the remakes of Age of Empires II, III, and IV, as well as Age of Mythology and a mobile game. With up to eight studios collaborating on a project simultaneously, the studio facilitated these efforts thanks to talents like Adam Isgreen, who has been involved in major RTS titles since 1993, including Command & Conquer and Star Wars: Empire At War.

There has long been hope that this groundwork could lead to the highly anticipated Age of Empires V, a fresh project rather than just another remake. In 2024, we posed this question to Yuen, suggesting, “It does sound a lot like you’re in a position where you kind of want to make something new?” His cautious response was, “So… I… We… I would love…” When pressed further, he admitted, “Yes. We do have a lot of people that are very interested in building more Age. And that is definitely something that we need to…” before redirecting the conversation back to the upcoming release of Mythology: Retold.

We’ve reached out to Microsoft and former World’s Edge employees to verify the accuracy of this rumor.