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Age of Empires is one of the world's best-known and most played real-time strategy games. The franchise has been around since 1997 and has been a favourite among the community for almost as long. But what about its status as an esports game? Find out in this article and learn whether or not betting on Age of Empires is viable today.
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Age of Empires belongs to the RTS video game genre whose first installment came in 1997. Immediately after release, thousands of players flocked to pick it up and play. Since then, 9 total games and dozens of expansion packs were released, enriching each subsequent game release.
The latest game in the franchise is Age of Empires 4; equipped with a graphical overhaul and improvements to gameplay, it has quickly risen to the top of the charts in terms of popularity. Its esports history is somewhat weak compared to certain other RTS games but there’s still a nice presence in it.
Age of Empires’ most defining features are fair play and focus on historical events and in-game progression. The game’s AI does not have as many advantages compared to most other RTS games and each faction is nicely balanced, especially in AoE 4.
We’ll take Age of Empires 4 as the example explanation here because it’s the most recent and most polished game of the lot.
First off, it must be said that Age of Empires games revolve around periods of history. Earlier games lasted from the Stone Age to the Iron Age (as an example) while AoE 4 is set between the Early Middle Ages and the High Middle Ages.
Players can select one of eight main factions to play with those eight being the Abbasid Dynasty, China, Delhi Sultanate, France, England, Holy Roman Empire, Mongolia, and the Rus. The main goal is to win in one of three ways:
The game is also divided into four main time periods – The Dark Age, The Feudal Age, The Castle Age, and The Imperial Age. Players progress through the ages as they build, wage war, and expand their empires.
Age of Empires is a game of strategy and tactical mastery. Matches can last between 15 minutes and more than an hour. There are a lot of intricacies within the game which you’ll best learn by watching live streams of official esports tournament matches.
Age of Empires esports began with the original game with the first-ever event being hosted in 1998 under the name ‘Rise of Rome Rumble’. It featured just $2,000 in prize pool money but it essentially kickstarted esports for AoE.
After that, almost every year had one or more tournaments, but it wouldn’t be until recent years that it would truly grow to higher levels of competitive play. The last AoE tournament to be held was the ‘Nation Cup 2v2’ tournament in 2021; it ended in August and with it, AoE esports came to an end.
AoE 2 would pick up the torch and carry it until recent times. AoE 2 tournaments are being held to this day and it’s been the most represented game of the franchise in esports, with more than $2,300,000 in prize money awarded since its release.
AoE 3 was hit-and-miss with esports because of how well AoE 2 fared. There’s not much to be said about the third installment of Age of Empires, but gamers agree that this was the best game of the series.
Age of Empires Online had a very poor stint in esports with only 19 tournaments being held between 2011 and 2022.
AoE 4 is off to a good start; in just 6 months, 114 tournaments were held, totaling $260,418 in prize money. The future is bright, and we could very well see the AoE 4 esports scene expanding in the following months and years, especially if new content is released.
Back home in Hamburg. 9 days of #N4C @AgeOfEmpires action with great people passed by. Thanks for your support and congrats to @BeastyqtSC2! Thanks to:@Dave_AoE @Aussie_Drongo @followgrubby @aoe_leenock @MarineLorDSC2 @VortiX_93 @TheMistaAoE @DeMusliM @TheViperAOE @LucifroN7 pic.twitter.com/e2PJq4t9jy — Nili_AoE (@Nili_AoE) March 15, 2022
Back home in Hamburg. 9 days of #N4C @AgeOfEmpires action with great people passed by. Thanks for your support and congrats to @BeastyqtSC2!
Thanks to:@Dave_AoE @Aussie_Drongo @followgrubby @aoe_leenock @MarineLorDSC2 @VortiX_93 @TheMistaAoE @DeMusliM @TheViperAOE @LucifroN7 pic.twitter.com/e2PJq4t9jy
— Nili_AoE (@Nili_AoE) March 15, 2022
Age of Empires 4 is not as popular as other esports games such as League of Legends, Dota 2, or other RTS games like Starcraft II, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Simply put, other games have developed their esports image far more than AoE.
In any case, the betting process is rather simple; all you have to do is follow the next few steps and you’ll be ready to start placing some bets.
There isn’t a lot of info surrounding AoE betting markets but from what we’ve seen in the past, you can expect the usual, simplest betting markets. These are:
The sad reality of AoE betting is that the game isn’t quite as popular among the esports betting community which makes the odds highly unpredictable. On top of that, not a lot of bookies cover Age of Empires esports betting and when they do, it’s usually the most popular tournaments only.
Nonetheless, there are great odds on occasion, especially regarding tournaments with plenty of teams, both underdogs and favourites. You’ll want to keep an eye out on bookie websites once the next tournament rolls around and compare the odds.
Not all betting markets are the same; take everything surrounding the tournament into account – the player performances, which players are participating, and anything else you can find. Sometimes, it’s best to wait before placing a bet, especially if live betting is available.
On top of that, a player might be the favourite to win but it might be more worth it if you were to bet on the underdog. Each situation is different, and you should handle it as such.
You won’t be able to place efficient bets without knowing what you’re betting on. Age of Empires 4 might sound like a complicated game, but it doesn’t have to be. Learn about the game and its esports scene to get a clear image of what kinds of bets to place.
Each esports game is filled with incredibly strong players but only one is usually considered the best. The same can be said here. Make sure to research the players themselves and their recent form to avoid making mistakes when betting. Find out which players are their kryptonite and when they’re the strongest to guarantee yourself as high chances of winning as possible.
Even if you’re sure that you’ll be placing a good bet, it might be worth waiting and taking things slow. Things can change quickly, especially in the RTS world. If you don’t have all the information needed to place winning bets, it’s better to skip placing them altogether until you’ve gathered enough intel. So, don’t rush things and be careful!
Ultimately, the best way to give yourself an advantage when betting is by playing the game itself. It isn’t necessary by any means, especially if you aren’t an RTS gamer, but it clarifies what’s happening on screen and why certain players are so good.
With over 10 weeks of online action and a $125k prize pool, @EGCTV_AOE‘s Golden League is the latest and greatest #AgeofEmpiresIV event yet! Tune in each weekend at 15:00 GMT as your favorite commentators guide you through each match. 📜 Read more: https://t.co/NJcQ7Qpptw pic.twitter.com/6GBhPCkYKX — AgeOfEmpires (@AgeOfEmpires) March 25, 2022
With over 10 weeks of online action and a $125k prize pool, @EGCTV_AOE‘s Golden League is the latest and greatest #AgeofEmpiresIV event yet!
Tune in each weekend at 15:00 GMT as your favorite commentators guide you through each match.
📜 Read more: https://t.co/NJcQ7Qpptw pic.twitter.com/6GBhPCkYKX
— AgeOfEmpires (@AgeOfEmpires) March 25, 2022
1xBet, LOOT.BET, and Pinnacle usually have the best odds on RTS betting. However, keep in mind that Age of Empires 4 is still a very young game and esports tournaments are few and far between so you might not always be able to bet on certain tournaments.
Age of Empires 4 was released in late October 2021 and has since then received a couple of important updates to balance the game even further.
GamerLegion is currently the best team in AoE 4 esports, but this may change in the future as the game is still young. There are bigger plans in place to expand the AoE esports scene so we might see even more teams from various esports countries join in the near future.
The player that has earned the most in AoE 4 esports is Aleksandar ‘Beastyqt’ Krstic with $33,489 earned. However, if we’re looking at players who have competed in earlier games as well, then the $232,129 earned by ‘TheViper’ puts him in first place.
Age of Empires 4 can currently be bought for $59.99 though there are often discounts that can go up to 50% (keep an eye out during the holiday season as that’s when most discounts are activated). The game can be purchased through either Steam or the Microsoft Store.