Classic Star Wars RTS receives major update 17 years after launch
Star Wars: Empire at War has been converted to 64-bit by Petroglyph thanks to the support of Lucasfilm Games
If you are a fan of RTS games, Star Wars: Empire at War is easily one of the best games to come from George Lucas’ Galaxy Far Far Away. The game is now 17 years old, and it still has a dedicated fanbase. The good news for fans is that Lucasfilm Games is happy to continue supporting the game. In recent years the RTS has received several updates, with this week’s patch being a major one.
Petroglyph, has updated both Star Wars: Empire at War and Empire at War: Forces of Corruption to 64-bit on Steam. Previously, both games were 32-bit applications. This change should allow both games to run better on modern PCs, and prevent “out of memory” issues. A long list of bug fixes have also been implemented, increasing the stability of the game’s multiplayer amongst other things.
This work has been done with support provided by the outstanding team at Lucasfilm Games. We are profoundly grateful for their unwavering dedication to the game and community. A heartfelt shout out also goes to the indispensable community leaders whose tireless efforts of reporting bugs, rigorously testing builds, and offering invaluable feedback have truly made a world of difference.
Star Wars: Empire at War’s November 2023 update contains 40 bug fixes and 11 mechanical changes to the game. Not bad for a game that’s well over a decade old. Sadly, this weeks update will break Empire at War’s compatibility with old 32-bit save files, though PC gamers on Steam can roll back to the game’s 32-bit version using the Steam beta tab if they want to continue their old saves.
Note that this week’s update only applies to the Steam version of Star Wars: Empire at War. The update is not available for the older disk-based versions of the game. Thankfully, Empire at War – Gold Edition is frequently available on Sale on Steam, allowing the game to be purchased at a steal of a price.
You can join the discussion on Star Wars: Empire at War’s new 64-bit Steam update on the OC3D Forums.
