After a few sites began reporting it, Ensemble Studios announced the third in the popular strategy series Age of Empires III was in the works for the PC. The official site has some minimal information with screenshots available.

IGNPC has posted a Q&A session with Ensemble lead designer Greg Street and lead programmer Dave Pottinger about Age of Empires III. The new installment in the series builds on the developments made in Age of Kings, involving taking the power the player held in Europe across the seas to the New World.

The article covers the battle systems, campaign modes, nations involved, etc., as well as including some nice screenshots of the new game engine.

Greg and Dave had this to say about what lessons they learned from the highly popular Age of Mythology, a departure from the Age of Empires formula:

We've learned that large, bold features are worth dozens of smaller, nuanced ones. We've learned that while recreating history can make a fun campaign, that a good story is even more important in capturing fans' attention. We've also learned that the difference between a good game and a blockbuster is the amount of polish all the various features have received, so we're saving plenty of time for polish. We're proud of Age of Mythology and how well it is done, but we also view it as a slightly different franchise, and we know fans are going to be really excited to get back to the original Age series.

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