Microsoft studio working on 'next installment in beloved strategy franchise'

Microsoft Game Studios is a bit like the warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark, considering how many game franchises and developers have folded into it over the years. But according to a new job listing, at least one of its old strategy series is set to return under the direction of a new team.

Good to know, but which beloved/abandoned strategy game franchise is it talking about? Age of Empires seems the most obvious choice. It was a pretty big deal back in the day but hasn't seen a major new entry (besides the discontinued Age of Empires Online and, er, Age of Empires 2 HD) since Ensemble Studios shut down in 2009. Ensemble also created Halo Wars, but it would be a stretch to call the one-off Xbox 360 exclusive a beloved strategy franchise.

Rise of Nations is another likely candidate, since it hosted two well-received games (not including the Extended Edition which hit Steam over the summer) before Big Huge Games moved on. So which, if any, of these fine franchises is Decisive Games actually working on? Looks like we'll have to just wait and see.

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and was formerly a staff writer at GamesRadar.