Age of Empires: Castle Siege to be taken offline next year

Vancouver, Canada - November 14th, 2018 - Smoking Gun Interactive today reflected on the announcement from Microsoft Studios that it will be closing down Age of Empires: Castle Siege, on all platforms; Windows, iOS and Android on May 13, 2019.

The statement from Microsoft can be found here.

"For Smoking Gun Interactive, it has been an honor to work on Age of Empires: Castle Siege and we are truly sad to see that this is coming to an end. The team really enjoyed working on this title and had many exciting ideas on where to take it, but unfortunately that was just not possible," said John Johnson, CEO of Smoking Gun Interactive.

"We hold dear the wonderful years we've shared with our players and that experience will remain with us forever. You all made this game very successful and we thank you for that and are grateful for the opportunity from Microsoft to have worked on such a beloved franchise."

Debuting in 2014 and developed by Smoking Gun Interactive, Age of Empires: Castle Siege was the first castle builder game to bring Real Time Strategy (RTS) gameplay mechanics to the genre.

Created in Caliber, Smoking Gun's' proprietary cross platform engine, Age of Empires: Castle Siege pushed the boundaries of what mobile strategy games can accomplish on a wide range of desktop and mobile devices. The innovative gameplay was well received which led to a strong community with Age of Empires: Castle Siege becoming a critical and commercial success.

Smoking Gun Interactive will continue to support the product and community for Age of Empires: Castle Siege through to its shut down period. The studio has another strategy title in the works and is working on securing its next new partnership and title that will be built with the latest incarnation of the Caliber engine used to create Age of Empires: Castle Siege and other titles.