Age of Wonders III announced for this fall

Strategic fantasy will return when the third Age of Wonders begins (tentatively) on PC and Mac this fall. Developer Triumph Studios, most recently known for the Overlord series, today announced it has returned to its founding franchise with Age of Wonders III.

The game will be familiar to fans of the series, though it has those polygons which everybody seems so enamored with these days. And instead of just stuffy wizards in towers, players can choose from a variety of races and classes such as goblin theocrat or elven archdruid.

These classes and further specializations will help shape the nation and armies players build as they pledge fealty to one of two rival factions. The series' lauded multiplayer will return with simultaneous turn-based combat, as well as support for "play-by-email" tactical battles.

Triumph has kept quiet about its financial backing for the polished-looking project, though an interview with Eurogamer suggests it might be partnering with Epic Games. The two studios worked together on the original Age of Wonders with Gathering of Developers as publisher, and Epic's pocketbook has grown a bit since 1999.