Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
You Can Now Play Star Wars: Empire At War's Online Multiplayer Again
The 2006 RTS classic once again features online multiplayer thanks to a surprise update from the developer.
If you're unfamiliar with the game, Empire At War is a real-time strategy title from Petroglyph Games that takes place before the events of A New Hope. The PC-only title features both land and space battles, along with separate campaigns for the Empire and Rebel Alliance. Former G.I. PC editor Adam Biessener gave Empire At War an 8.25 way back in the day, stating that it "will make the hearts of Star Wars fanatics sing with glee at the life it brings to Lucas' universe..." Reiner provided a similarly glowing second opinion, awarding Empire At War an 8.5.
Empire At War also featured a Skirmish mode, but it was disabled in 2014 when GameSpy's servers went down for good. Today, however, Disney and Petroglyph released a new patch on Steam to reenable the online mode, as well as add mod support.
According to Petroglyph's press release, Empire At War is the best-selling game on Steam, having sold over 6.7 million copies. If you're interested, Empire At War is also currently 50-percent off as part of this year's Force Friday.
Our Take
I never played Empire At War back in the day, but clearly a lot of people have – and still are. It's great to see a developer taking the extra step to do right by its fans; hopefully Empire At War's success encourages Disney to take another look at the strategy genre for future Star Wars titles.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
