Introduction

Age of Mythology is a mythology-based, real-time strategy computer game developed by Ensemble Studios, and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released on November 1, 2002 in North America and a week later in Europe.

In contrast to previous titles in the Age of Empires series, it focuses on the myths and legends of the Greek, Egyptian, and Norse cultures. Its campaign follows an Atlantean admiral, Arkantos, who is forced to travel through the lands of the three civilizations in the game, hunting for a cyclops who seeks to release the titan Kronos.

Only four months after its release, Age of Mythology sold over 1,000,000 copies. General manager for PC games at Microsoft, Stuart Moulder, said that "The worldwide popularity of the entire franchise continues to grow, while the fans' excitement inspires the development team at Ensemble Studios to create more innovative games each year."

Age of Mythology: The Titans, an expansion to Age of Mythology, was released on September 30, 2003.^[4] The expansion contained a new civilization; the Atlanteans, and several new units, including the titans. Critics and fans received the expansion with enthusiasm, although its ratings were not as high as that of the original version.

On May 8, 2014, the Age of Mythology: Extended Edition was released on Steam. It features improved graphics, water, lighting, along with day/night cycles, Treaty gamemode, Steam achievements and a mod workshop. It has received mixed reviews from both by fans and critics due to performance lag, bugs, and other issues.

Age of Mythology: Tale of the Dragon, an expansion to Age of Mythology: Extended Edition was released on January 28, 2016. It includes a new civilization; the Chinese, a fully voiced campaign, and other new features. The expansion came with significant balance changes to the existing civilizations.