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Petroglyph, the developer behind Star Wars: Empire at War, has surprised fans by revisiting its 17-year-old real-time strategy game with a series of unexpected updates. Originally released in 2006, Empire at War is situated between Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode 4 - A New Hope, centering on the conflict between the Empire and the Rebels. Despite online functionality being discontinued in 2014, multiplayer was reintroduced three years later on the Steam version, accompanied by workshop support.
In November 2023, a "maintenance patch" was released for Empire at War, addressing minor bugs, making player balance adjustments, and optimizing performance. Building on this, Petroglyph took a significant step forward this week, delivering the most substantial update the game has seen in years.
The latest patch transitioned both Empire at War and its expansion, Forces of Corruption, from 32-bit to 64-bit applications. According to the developer, this conversion aims to resolve various out-of-memory bugs and crashes that players had been encountering. Petroglyph also tackled multiplayer out-of-sync issues, enhancing stability, and implemented numerous gameplay fixes to address balance and incorrect unit behavior. The shift to 64-bit has generated anticipation among fans for a potential resurgence in modding interest.
While Star Wars: Empire at War may be considered an aged RTS, it maintains a dedicated player base, boasting around 2,000 concurrent players on Steam at any given moment—sufficient for multiplayer functionality. Speculation is now arising among fans about the possibility of a remake or sequel from Petroglyph, although the developer has noticeably increased its focus on Empire at War in recent years. The commitment to supporting such an old game is commendable, especially considering Petroglyph's more recent releases, including 2023's The Great War: Western Front and the well-received 2020 Command & Conquer Remastered Collection.
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