Age of Empires IV's community council "have been hands-on with the game for years"

Relic Entertainment finally revealed Age of Empires IV this weekend, and while we've already been shown off a look at a whole range of gameplay and trailers, we've also had the chance to chat with the developers about the game. During the interview, we spoke about how the title came about, the naval warfare, and the many factions that are available, but also how the community council that was created in 2017 to help in the development has helped Age of Empires IV become the game it is today.

"We formed a community council in 2017, so they've been with us for a good chunk of the development, and we looked to bring in players that played Age I, Age II, Age III, Age of Myth, who really understand the core essence of what makes Age of Empires Age of Empires," said Emma Briddle, head of public engagement at Relic Entertainment. "We wanted their perspectives as we built the game. So, they have been hands-on with the game for years at this point, helping, giving us feedback, and really telling us what they liked, what they felt could be changed.

We've poured through every piece of feedback, it's gone through the game teams, and we've made real tangible changes based on what they've told us - everything from UI icons, all the way to game systems. So, they've really had a seat at the table, they've been very much a part of the development team, and we're very grateful for them giving us their time, outside of their lives and jobs to help us really make this game better. They've really been an integral part of Age of Empires IV, and we're very, very happy to have had them with us."

You can check out the full Age of Empires IV interview below, as well as the gameplay reveal trailer.