Publisher Microsoft and developers Tantalus Media and Forgotten Empires have announced Age of Empires II: DE is getting co-op and a new expansion this year.

While Age of Empires II: DE is getting co-op, the first ever form of cooperative play in the series. Details are scarce however the developers note they hand-picked a list of historical campaigns and battles for players to play through together, cooperatively. The new co-op update won’t launch until sometime later this year.

The other bit of news is that Age of Empires II: DE is getting another new expansion pack titled Dawn of the Dukes, which is focused on eastern Europe. Details on the new expansion pack are also scant, however it will launch sometime this summer – prior to the co-op update launching.

You can view the new content below (around the 12:12 mark) in the new Age of Empires fan preview event:

In related news, Age of Empires IV was given a fall 2021 release window alongside a big proper unveiling of the real-time strategy game – you can read more about that here in our other report.

Here’s a rundown on the game:

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition celebrates the 20th anniversary of one of the most popular strategy games ever with stunning 4K Ultra HD graphics, a new and fully remastered soundtrack, and brand-new content, “The Last Khans” with 3 new campaigns and 4 new civilizations.

Explore all the original campaigns like never before as well as the best-selling expansions, spanning over 200 hours of gameplay and 1,000 years of human history. Head online to challenge other players with 35 different civilizations in your quest for world domination throughout the ages.

Choose your path to greatness with this definitive remaster to one of the most beloved strategy games of all time.

Features

• Celebrate the 20th anniversary of one of the most popular strategy games ever with this definitive remastered edition
• Stunning 4K Ultra HD graphics and fully remastered audio
• Enjoy the complete content collection, plus all-new content, “The Last Khans”
• Over 200 hours of gameplay across 1,000 years of human history.
• Head online to challenge other players with 35 different civilizations in your quest for world domination throughout the ages.
• Spectator mode and native streaming support

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is currently available for Windows PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store, as well as Xbox Game Pass for PC.