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A NEW ERA For The RTS Genre?

 

The RTS(Real Time Strategy) genre had a great era in the 1990s. Warcraft came out in Nov 15, 1994, Command and Conquer in Sept. 26, 1995, and Age of Empires in Oct 13, 1997, StarCraft in March 31, 1998 and so many, many more games that many of us would be familiar with from our childhood or because these titles have continued on. This carried on into the early 2000s and then, the craze petered out. Games came and went, some making splashes, and others just not making the cut. Another mini craze came with Starcraft II coming out in July 27, 2010 with publishers trying again to rekindle the flame. The Heart of The Swarm expansion came out in March 12, 2013 and Starcraft 2 has continued to thrive since then. 

Recently, Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games have experienced a resurgence in recent years, with both classic franchises and new titles entering the scene. Age of Empires 4 came out in Oct 28, 2021 and created a huge interest in the traditional RTS again. The newly created Frost Giant Studios is currently developing Stormgate, a highly anticipated competitive RTS game. If you visit their site (https://frostgiant.com/), you will see that it says, "Real-Time Strategy Returns." This makes any RTS lover's heart quicken! I am excited to say, that I think the RTS hype is coming back with some awesome games in development and tournaments forming.

Take a look at the games recently released and are in development:

1. Age of Empires IV (2021): The latest installment in the iconic Age of Empires series, Age of Empires IV offers a fresh take on historical real-time strategy, featuring new civilizations, improved graphics, and engaging gameplay. The developer's have done a really good job at constantly updating and balancing the game and it really feels like a true call back to the still played Age of Empires II. Tournaments by EGCTV, RedBull and Microsoft have been and still are being held with the biggest having had $300,000 prize pool! More civilizations are also coming in a DLC coming out on Nov. 14, 2023! Take a look at the new DLC here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaG5P85RwHg

2. Age of Mythology: Retold: A complete overhaul to the beloved Age of Mythology game was announced on Oct 25, 2022. Unfortunately, there hasn't been much news since then, but you can take a look at the announcement trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O67dQQ9ZAqs. 

3. Homeworld 3: A sequel to the fantastic Homeworld game from 1999 is in the last stages of development. It is projected to come out in Feb 2024! There have been a few Homeworld spin off games, but this one in particular is supposed to be a greater version of the first one, building upon the formula and having new and improved graphics. For those of you that haven't played the original Homeworld, Homeworld was a space RTS that was praised for its beautiful soundtrack by Paul Ruskay, cutting-edge 3D graphics(at the time), and the way you could free move your ships around as they battled enemy ships. You could build and customize your ships that you would explore, fight, and collect resources with. I used to play it a lot back in the day; it truly was a great game! Check out the Reveal Trailer for Homeworld 3 from Gamescom 2023 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVCUI70kF7o.

4. Beyond All Reason (BAR): Another new game that was recently released and is still in its Alpha stage in development. It is takes it roots from classic RTS games like "Total Annihilation" and "Supreme Commander." It offers large-scale battles with vast armies, intricate base-building, and strategic depth. One of the things that the developers wanted to make sure existed, is great modding support, which always keeps a game fresh and exciting. You can download the game here: https://www.beyondallreason.info/. Give it a try, as its free to play!

5. Purple War: Another game still in Early Access, Purple War is very much like Warcraft III and free to play as well! If you like Warcraft III, keep an eye on this game as it continues to develop. Check out one of their newer videos here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5vj8Zen65w.

6. Stormgate: Probably the most anticipated game that is coming soon is Stormgate. From the developers of Starcraft 2, who left Blizzard and created Frost Giant Studios, this game is being developed with competitive play in mind just like Starcraft 2 and it looks really promising. A lot of the pro-players from Starcraft 2, Age of Empires, and other RTS games are hyped for it. Its roots are very much taken from Starcrft 2, with a different art style, units, and gameplay. Take a look at a Pre-Alpha Gameplay Reveal Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv7_9ipAZGI.

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