Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome
1998 expansion adding Romans, units, and campaigns to Age of Empires.
In 1998, Ensemble Studios released *The Rise of Rome*, an expansion pack for their 1997 real-time strategy game *Age of Empires*. Published by Microsoft for Windows, it added four new civilizations—Rome, Carthage, Palmyra, and Macedonia—alongside fresh units, map types, and gameplay tweaks. The expansion was born from delays in developing the sequel, *Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings*, as the studio sought to keep the original game selling while they bought more time.
The core gameplay remained the same: gather resources, construct buildings, train units, and advance through ages to unlock stronger technologies and military options. *The Rise of Rome* introduced five new units: slingers, camel riders, scythe chariots, armored elephants, and fire galleys. New technologies brought novel abilities, such as Martyrdom, which let a priest sacrifice himself to convert enemy units, and Logistics, which made barracks units count as half a population slot, allowing larger armies. Custom games gained new map types—highlands, large islands, and peninsulas—and adjustable population limits up to 200 in multiplayer. Quality-of-life improvements included unit production queuing and double-clicking to select all units of the same type. The expansion also added four campaigns spanning nineteen scenarios, covering Rome’s rise from a city-state through the Pyrrhic War, Julius Caesar’s campaigns, the War of Actium, and battles against Spartacus and Hannibal.
Design lead Sandy Petersen, a scenario designer from the original game, headed development. According to designer Bruce Shelley, the team delayed the sequel and created *The Rise of Rome* to maintain interest in the first title. Co-founder Tony Goodman noted that Microsoft greenlit the expansion based on the original’s commercial success. Shelley said the Roman focus was chosen to bridge the ancient setting of the original with the medieval era of the planned sequel. The expansion aimed to implement “small but significant” adjustments from player feedback, improving game balance and reducing the emphasis on rushing through ages.
Microsoft released *The Rise of Rome* in the United States on 22 October 1998, and in the UK and Europe on 6 November 1998.
- Release date (us)
- 22 October 1998
- Release date (uk/europe)
- 6 November 1998
- Developer
- Ensemble Studios
- Publisher
- Microsoft
- Platform
- Windows
- Genre
- Real-time strategy expansion
- New civilizations
- Rome, Carthage, Palmyra, Macedonia
Lore & Background
The Rise of Rome was created by the Age of Empires development team at Ensemble Studios, with design led by Sandy Petersen, a scenario designer from the original game. The expansion was conceived to provide the studio with additional time to complete the development of the game's sequel, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, delayed from its originally planned release in 1998. According to designer Bruce Shelley, the development team opted to delay the release of the sequel and developed The Rise of Rome in the interim to maintain commercial interest in the original title. Studio co-founder Tony Goodman stated that the proposed expansion was pitched to Microsoft and accepted on the basis of the original title's commercial success. Shelley stated the expansion's focus on Rome was chosen to bridge the early ancient setting of the original game and the medieval setting of its planned successor. A goal of the expansion was to implement 'small but significant' adjustments based on player feedback to improve the balance of the game and reduce the gameplay emphasis on rushing to the next age.
Reader's Guide
The Rise of Rome was a commercial success, with global sales estimates between 800,000 and 1.2 million units by the early 2000s. It entered second place behind Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator on ELSPA monthly sales charts for computer games in the UK in January 1999. Shelley considered it a commercial success, with Goodman remarking that the expansion was 'the most profitable game that Microsoft had ever published'. The expansion received positive reviews from critics, who praised its inclusion of features and gameplay mechanics beyond the expected addition of new maps. It was declared the 1998 'Add-On of the Year' by Computer Games Online and Computer Games Strategy Plus. Reviewers later expressed that the expansion set the standard for the sequel to Age of Empires II, The Conquerors, released in 2000. Shelley remarked that the expansion's strength demonstrated how an expansion release could 'extend the life of a game and keep the experience fresh', and was used to inform the design of Age of Empires II: The Conquerors. Goodman stated that the success of Rise of Rome convinced Microsoft to pursue expansion packs for other products.
Did You Know?
- The expansion was developed to maintain sales while the sequel Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings was delayed.
- It introduced the ability to queue unit production and double-click to select units of the same type.
- A promotional online tournament was held on MSN Gaming Zone from November to December 1998, with a cash prize and trip to Rome.
- In 2023, a separate expansion called Return of Rome integrated the four civilizations from Rise of Rome into Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.
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