Age of Empires® III (2007)

Multiplayer services ended on October 30, 2024, marking a significant shift for Age of Empires III (2007). Alongside this, the game ceased being available for purchase, impacting new players looking to join the community. Players can still enjoy the campaign and skirmish modes after the multiplayer services concluded.

• Multiplayer Services Ending: The game's multiplayer services officially ended on October 30, 2024, at 10am PT, limiting online competitive play.
• End of Sales: The game became unavailable for purchase on October 10, 2024, closing the door for new players to join the existing community.
• Continued Access to Campaign and Skirmish: Despite the end of multiplayer services, players retain access to campaign and skirmish content, allowing for offline play.

Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition launched a new free trial on August 3, 2023, allowing new players to experience the game with three civilizations, several maps, and the first act of the Blood, Ice, and Steel campaign. This update also introduced rotating civilizations and a collection of multiplayer maps to enhance the trial experience.

• Free Trial Access: New players accessed a free trial featuring three civilizations on a rotating schedule, including the French, Haudenosaunee, and Russians.
  • Included Content: The trial allowed players to explore Act 1 of the Blood, Ice, and Steel campaign and host matches on eight new multiplayer maps, such as Central Asia and Great Plains.
• Hero Cosmetic Challenges: Monthly global events allowed players to unlock new Hero Cosmetics by participating in various challenges.
• Art of War and Compendium Access: Players gained access to the Art of War tutorials and the Compendium, which detailed each civilization's history and tech trees.

Tracked sources for Age of Empires® III (2007) were limited between 2021-01-05 and 2022-01-05, with only 2 verified changes captured in this window. The recorded activity centers on Multiplayer Service Transition to New Backend and Installation of AgeIIIESOPatch_Full Required and sits between Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition Release Date on 2020-10-15 (dlc_release) and New Hero Cosmetic Challenge Events on 2023-08-02 (new_content), making this a light but still readable period in the game's history.

• Verified activity: 2021-09-01 - Multiplayer Service Transition to New Backend: The multiplayer service for Age of Empires III: Complete Collection will no longer function after September 1, 2021, unless a new patch is installed.; 2021-09-01 - Installation of AgeIIIESOPatch_Full Required: Players must manually install the AgeIIIESOPatch_Full to access multiplayer services and ensure stability..
• What stands out: The period is defined more by a small number of isolated updates than by a large roadmap beat or expansion-sized release.
• Before this window: The closest earlier tracked activity was Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition Release Date on 2020-10-15 (dlc_release).
• After this window: The next tracked activity was New Hero Cosmetic Challenge Events on 2023-08-02 (new_content).

Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition launched on October 15, 2020, introducing significant updates including two new civilizations and new game modes. The release marked a major milestone for the game, enhancing the experience with additional content and improvements.

• New Civilizations: The Swedes and The Incas became available as new civilizations exclusive to the Definitive Edition.
• New Game Modes: Players gained access to Historical Battles and Art of War challenges, adding fresh gameplay experiences.
• Improved Multiplayer Access: A patch released on August 19, 2020, allowed players to access multiplayer services directly, enhancing stability and reliability.
• Enhanced Representation: The game introduced fundamental changes for better cultural representation of Native American civilizations on October 15, 2020.
• Seasonal Event: The ESOC Winter Championship 2020 was announced on January 6, 2020, featuring a $3,000 AoE3 Open Tournament with a beginner-friendly format.
• Pre-order Discounts: Owners of Age of Empires III: Complete Collection received a 25% discount for pre-ordering the Definitive Edition starting August 27, 2020.
• New Bundle: The Age of Empires: Definitive Collection bundle was introduced at a price of $44.99 on August 27, 2020.

Tracked sources for Age of Empires® III (2007) were limited between 2019-01-05 and 2020-01-05, with only 1 verified change captured in this window. The recorded activity centers on New World Championship Tournament Announcement and sits between no earlier tracked updates in the current dataset and ESOC Winter Championship 2020 Announcement on 2020-01-06 (seasonal_event), making this a light but still readable period in the game's history.

• Verified activity: 2019-07-11 - New World Championship Tournament Announcement: First LAN tournament in over a decade featuring the top 8 players from around the world..
• What stands out: The period is defined more by a small number of isolated updates than by a large roadmap beat or expansion-sized release.
• Before this window: No earlier tracked activity is present in the current dataset.
• After this window: The next tracked activity was ESOC Winter Championship 2020 Announcement on 2020-01-06 (seasonal_event).

Tracked sources for Age of Empires® III (2007) were limited between 2013-01-05 and 2014-01-05, with only 2 verified changes captured in this window. The recorded activity centers on Introduction of Steam Trading Cards for Age of Empires III and Introduction of Steam Trading Cards for Age of Empires III and sits between no earlier tracked updates in the current dataset and New World Championship Tournament Announcement on 2019-07-11 (seasonal_event), making this a light but still readable period in the game's history.

• Verified activity: 2013-11-21 - Introduction of Steam Trading Cards for Age of Empires III: Steam trading cards, backgrounds, badges, and emotes specific to Age of Empires III are now available.; 2013-11-21 - Introduction of Steam Trading Cards for Age of Empires III: Steam trading cards, backgrounds, badges, and emotes specific to Age of Empires III are now available..
• What stands out: The period is defined more by a small number of isolated updates than by a large roadmap beat or expansion-sized release.
• Before this window: No earlier tracked activity is present in the current dataset.
• After this window: The next tracked activity was New World Championship Tournament Announcement on 2019-07-11 (seasonal_event).