Forgotten Empires

American video game developer

Forgotten Empires

Company type| Subsidiary
Industry| Video games
Founded| 2013
Founder| Ryan Shepherd
Bert Beeckman
Headquarters| Cincinnati, Ohio, US

Key people

| Ryan Shepherd (studio head)
Bert Beeckman (lead developer)
Products| Age of Empires series

Number of employees

| 90+ (2024)
Parent| Keywords Studios (2022–present)
Website| www.forgottenempires.net

Forgotten Empires is an American video game developer based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was founded by Bert Beeckman and Ryan Shepherd in 2013. It specializes in creating real-time strategy (RTS) games, particularly within the historical genre. Their contributions include the development of expansions and remastering of Age of Empires titles. In June 2022, Forgotten Empires was acquired by Keywords Studios.[1]

## History

[edit]

Forgotten Empires originated as a group of gamers who began working on a modification for Age of Empires II in 2012. Around the same time, Microsoft was in the process of creating a remastered HD edition of Age of Empires II.[2] The mod was successful, prompting Microsoft to collaborate with the group to transform their project into an official expansion. This collaboration was announced in June 2013, with Microsoft revealing Forgotten Empires' involvement in the ongoing development of Age of Empires II: HD Edition. Subsequently, in collaboration with SkyBox Labs, the expansion titled Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten was released a few months later.[3]

After this success, Forgotten Empires and Microsoft Studios co-developed The African Kingdoms and Rise of the Rajas, two further Age of Empires II HD expansion packs.[4] They also contributed to Tale of the Dragon, an expansion for Age of Mythology, a spin-off game centered on mythology.[5]

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition was revealed by Forgotten Empires in 2017 during the Electronic Entertainment Expo PC Gaming Show. The game's release date was pushed back from October 19, 2017, to February 20, 2018. Through the Windows Store, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition was made accessible.[6] Forgotten Empires had co-developed multiple video games and expansions for the Age of Empires franchise with World's Edge, SkyBox Labs, and Relic Entertainment.[7][8][9][10]

In June 2022, Keywords Studios acquired Forgotten Empires for $32.5 million.[11] In 2023, World's Edge announced that a remastered version of Age of Mythology, Age of Mythology: Retold, is in development, with Forgotten Empires also co-developing it.[12]

## Games and expansions

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Notes

|
|

2013  | Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten | Co-developed with SkyBox Labs.[13]
2014  | Age of Mythology: Extended Edition
2015  | Age of Empires II HD: The African Kingdoms
2016  | Age of Mythology: Tale of the Dragon
Age of Empires II HD: Rise of the Rajas
2018  | Age of Empires: Definitive Edition | Co-developed with Tantalus Media and Wicked Workshop
2019  | Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
2020  | Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition
2021  | Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Lords of the West | Co-developed with World's Edge
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - United States Civilization
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - The African Royals
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Dawn of the Dukes
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - Mexico Civilization
Age of Empires IV | Co-developed with World's Edge and Relic Entertainment
2022  | Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Dynasties of India | Co-developed with World's Edge
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - Knights of the Mediterranean
2023  | Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Return of Rome
Age of Empires IV: The Sultans Ascend | Co-developed with World's Edge and Relic Entertainment
2024  | Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition – Victors and Vanquished | Co-developed with World's Edge[14][15][16]
Age of Mythology: Retold
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition – Chronicles: Battle for Greece
2025  | Age of Mythology: Retold – Immortal Pillars
Age of Empires IV – Knights of Cross and Rose
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition – The Three Kingdoms
Untitiled Age of Empires IV expansion

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Keywords Studios acquires firm behind Forgotten Empires game for €30m". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
2. ^ Jasper, Pieter "SuikerBrood" (2022-06-08). "Age of Empires developer Forgotten Empires acquired by Keywords Studios". XboxEra. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
3. ^ Katie Williams (2013-08-19). "After 14 years, an Age of Empires 2 fan mod becomes an official expansion". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
4. ^ Mashiur, Zoheb (2017-01-05). "Age of Empires 2: Evergreen, not Forgotten". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
5. ^ "Age of Mythology to get new expansion, Tale of the Dragon, 13 years after release". PCGamesN. 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
6. ^ Sarkar, Samit (2017-06-12). "Age of Empires is being remastered in 4K this year (update)". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
7. ^ "Age of Mythology: Extended Edition HD". SkyBox Labs. Archived from the original on August 4, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
8. ^ "Forgotten Empires | Game Development Studio | Age of Empires series - Forgotten Empires". www.forgottenempires.net. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
9. ^ Moss, Richard (2015-12-28). "How A Mod Team Helped Age Of Empires 2 Thrive". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
10. ^ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
11. ^ "Keywords buys Age of Empires: Definitive Edition dev Forgotten Empires for $32.5 million". www.gamedeveloper.com. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
12. ^ Dustin Bailey (2022-10-25). "Age of Mythology: Retold is a modern remaster of the classic RTS". gamesradar. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
13. ^ "Age of Mythology: Extended Edition". Steam. Valve. Archived from the original on May 30, 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
14. ^ "Age of Mythology: Retold launches in 2024 for Xbox Series, Xbox One, and PC". Gematsu. 2024-02-23. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
15. ^ "Immortal Pillars brings Chinese gods and units to Age of Mythology: Retold". Video Games On SI. 2024-09-26. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
16. ^ McWhertor, Michael (2024-11-13). "World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Classic coming in 2025". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-11-13.

* v
* t
* e

Keywords Studios

* Blindlight
* Certain Affinity
* Climax Studios
* D3T
* Forgotten Empires
* GameSim
* Heavy Iron Studios
* High Voltage Software
* Smoking Gun Interactive
* Tantalus Media
* Wicked Workshop

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