Big Huge Games To Expand Age Of Empires III

Microsoft subsidiary Ensemble Studios has announced that Big Huge Games (Rise of Nations, Catan) will be developing The Asian Dynasties, the second expansion to Ensemble's hit Age of Empires III, due for PC release this fall. The expansion will add playable Asian civilizations to the popular strategy title, as well as new gameplay elements including "new ways of winning and trading," 15 Asian "wonders," and new map styles featuring remixes of classic Age of Empires styles. Most recently noted for its Xbox Live Arcade tabletop conversion title Catan, Big Huge Games has also announced that it is currently developing an Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 RPG led by Ken Rolston (who retired after his contributions to Bethesda's Oblivion), to be published in 2009 by THQ. Said Big Huge Games CEO Brian Reynolds, "We're honored to have the opportunity to develop Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties with Ensemble Studios and confident that the innovation of both teams will deliver an exciting experience for fans of this franchise. He added, "We feel that the in-depth experience of Big Huge Games in the real-time strategy genre, combined with the solid reputation of the Age of Empires franchise, will result in something fresh and unique for gamers."