Empire Earth (series)
Encyclopedia
The Empire Earth series is a franchise of real-time strategy
computer games
developed by Stainless Steel Studios
and Mad Doc Software
, and published by Sierra Entertainment
, Activision
, and Vivendi
. The games in the series are historical RTS games that are similar to Age of Empires. Rick Goodman
, who designed Empire Earth and Empires: Dawn of the Modern World, was one of the lead designers of Age of Empires. The games use the Titan
and Titan 2.0 engine, which was sold after SSSI closed.
, was released in 2001. It was developed by SSSI (Stainless Steel Studios), and published by Sierra Entertainment. The game was praised for its in-depth gameplay, and received positive critical acclaim. The 2 million unit sales were enough to spawn an expansion pack and several sequels to the game. The game had 14 epochs in it, which totaled 500,000 years. The game also included 21 nations, from every age and location. It was also developed for the mobile phone
in 2005.
Released in 2002, Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest
was an expansion pack for the first Empire Earth. The expansion pack added several new campaigns and features to the game, but was received negatively because there were many small bugs that were never addressed by Mad Doc Software
. The expansion pack was released in 2002, after the release of Empire Earth but before the release of Empires: Dawn of the Modern World.
Empires: Dawn of the Modern World
was not technically the sequel to Empire Earth, but it was released in 2003 and sometimes called the Spiritual Sequel to Empire Earth. The game was also designed by Rick Goodman
and the SSSI team, and had many throwbacks to the first Empire Earth. Empires: Dawn of the Modern World was much more condensed, with only 1,000 years and only nine civilizations. Even so, the game received positive acclaim as a good RTS, but not very innovative.
Empire Earth II
was released in 2005, two years after Empires: Dawn of the Modern World
. Empire Earth II was developed by Mad Doc Software
and published by Vivendi
, since Stainless Steel Studios left the project to develop Empires: Dawn of the Modern World. Empire Earth II used revamped graphics and weather effects, but still retained the feel of the original Empire Earth. The game was received relatively well (about 79% on average according to MetaCritic), a little lower than the original Empire Earth and Empires: Dawn of the Modern World.
Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy
was released in 2006, and was an expansion pack for Empire Earth II. The expansion pack added several new campaigns, civilizations, units, and features to the original Empire Earth II game. However, the game was received worse than its expansion pack predecessor, and was considered bad for its lack of innovation with the new campaigns it offered.
Empire Earth III
, also called EE3, is a real-time strategy
computer game by Mad Doc Software
and released by Vivendi Universal on November 5, 2007 It was received very poorly in contrast to its predecessors.
Empire Earth Mobile
is a Civilization
style TBS
developed by Vivendi and published by Wonderphone. It is quite smaller than any other title in the series, with only four epochs and other condensed features.
as the games are very epoch diverse.
, it received mainly negative and average reviews and widespread condemnation from fans of the series. Any remnants of it were removed from Mad Doc Software
's official website. On November 1, 2008, multiplayer support was dropped for Empire Earth
, Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest
and Empire Earth II
. Leaving only Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy
, Empire Earth III
,and Empires: Dawn of the Modern World
with multiplayer servers.
Empires: Dawn of the Modern World multiplayer is no longer very active due to bugs and glitches which were not fixed by the developer. Online activity continues to dwindle on Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy
and Empire Earth III
due to the lack of updates and support.
had a closer rating to Empire Earth than anything else in the series, with an 81% average. Empire Earth mobile averaged about 77%. Empire Earth 3 was received poorly, averaging a press score of 4.8 according to Gamestats.
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
computer games
Computer Games
"Computer Games" is a single by New Zealand group, Mi-Sex released in 1979 in Australia and New Zealand and in 1981 throughout Europe. It was the single that launched the band, and was hugely popular, particularly in Australia and New Zealand...
developed by Stainless Steel Studios
Stainless Steel Studios
Stainless Steel Studios was a computer game development company, started in 1997 by Rick Goodman and Dara-Lynn Pelechatz. The company was based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and focused on the development of real-time strategy software titles.-History:...
and Mad Doc Software
Mad Doc Software
Rockstar New England, formerly Mad Doc Software, is a computer game development company founded in 1999 by Dr. Ian Lane Davis. The company is based in New England in Andover, Massachusetts, just north of Boston.-Overview:...
, and published by Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
, Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
, and Vivendi
Vivendi
Vivendi SA is a French international media conglomerate with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications, the Internet, and video games. It is headquartered in Paris.- History :...
. The games in the series are historical RTS games that are similar to Age of Empires. Rick Goodman
Rick Goodman
Rick Goodman is a video game developer and the founder and owner of the now-defunct Stainless Steel Studios. He is best known for the RTS games he created, such as Age of Empires and Empire Earth.-Career:...
, who designed Empire Earth and Empires: Dawn of the Modern World, was one of the lead designers of Age of Empires. The games use the Titan
Titan (game engine)
-Titan:Titan is a game engine developed by Stainless Steel Studios used in the real-time strategy genre. It was mainly used as a PC game engine in the early 2000s...
and Titan 2.0 engine, which was sold after SSSI closed.
Chronology
The first game of the series, Empire EarthEmpire Earth
Empire Earth, also known as EE, is a real-time strategy computer game developed by Stainless Steel Studios and released on November 23, 2001. It is the first game in the Empire Earth series...
, was released in 2001. It was developed by SSSI (Stainless Steel Studios), and published by Sierra Entertainment. The game was praised for its in-depth gameplay, and received positive critical acclaim. The 2 million unit sales were enough to spawn an expansion pack and several sequels to the game. The game had 14 epochs in it, which totaled 500,000 years. The game also included 21 nations, from every age and location. It was also developed for the mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
in 2005.
Released in 2002, Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest
Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest
Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest, also known as AoC, is the official expansion pack for the real-time strategy game Empire Earth. Art of Conquest was developed by Mad Doc Software, and was released on 17 September 2002 in the United States. The game was released in Europe later in the year, and...
was an expansion pack for the first Empire Earth. The expansion pack added several new campaigns and features to the game, but was received negatively because there were many small bugs that were never addressed by Mad Doc Software
Mad Doc Software
Rockstar New England, formerly Mad Doc Software, is a computer game development company founded in 1999 by Dr. Ian Lane Davis. The company is based in New England in Andover, Massachusetts, just north of Boston.-Overview:...
. The expansion pack was released in 2002, after the release of Empire Earth but before the release of Empires: Dawn of the Modern World.
Empires: Dawn of the Modern World
Empires: Dawn of the Modern World
Empires: Dawn of the Modern World is a history-based real-time strategy computer game developed by Stainless Steel Studios and released on October 21, 2003...
was not technically the sequel to Empire Earth, but it was released in 2003 and sometimes called the Spiritual Sequel to Empire Earth. The game was also designed by Rick Goodman
Rick Goodman
Rick Goodman is a video game developer and the founder and owner of the now-defunct Stainless Steel Studios. He is best known for the RTS games he created, such as Age of Empires and Empire Earth.-Career:...
and the SSSI team, and had many throwbacks to the first Empire Earth. Empires: Dawn of the Modern World was much more condensed, with only 1,000 years and only nine civilizations. Even so, the game received positive acclaim as a good RTS, but not very innovative.
Empire Earth II
Empire Earth II
Empire Earth II, also called EE2, is a real-time strategy computer game developed by Mad Doc Software and published by Vivendi Universal Games on April 26, 2005. It is a sequel to the 2001 bestselling game Empire Earth, which was developed by the now-defunct Stainless Steel Studios...
was released in 2005, two years after Empires: Dawn of the Modern World
Empires: Dawn of the Modern World
Empires: Dawn of the Modern World is a history-based real-time strategy computer game developed by Stainless Steel Studios and released on October 21, 2003...
. Empire Earth II was developed by Mad Doc Software
Mad Doc Software
Rockstar New England, formerly Mad Doc Software, is a computer game development company founded in 1999 by Dr. Ian Lane Davis. The company is based in New England in Andover, Massachusetts, just north of Boston.-Overview:...
and published by Vivendi
Vivendi
Vivendi SA is a French international media conglomerate with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications, the Internet, and video games. It is headquartered in Paris.- History :...
, since Stainless Steel Studios left the project to develop Empires: Dawn of the Modern World. Empire Earth II used revamped graphics and weather effects, but still retained the feel of the original Empire Earth. The game was received relatively well (about 79% on average according to MetaCritic), a little lower than the original Empire Earth and Empires: Dawn of the Modern World.
Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy
Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy
Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy, abbreviated to EE II:AoS or AoS for short, is the official expansion pack for the 2005 game, Empire Earth II. Released on 15 February 2006, and developed by Mad Doc Software, Art of Supremacy presents new features for Empire Earth II...
was released in 2006, and was an expansion pack for Empire Earth II. The expansion pack added several new campaigns, civilizations, units, and features to the original Empire Earth II game. However, the game was received worse than its expansion pack predecessor, and was considered bad for its lack of innovation with the new campaigns it offered.
Empire Earth III
Empire Earth III
Empire Earth III, also called EE3, is a real-time strategy computer game developed by Mad Doc Software and published by Sierra Entertainment, released on November 6, 2007...
, also called EE3, is a real-time strategy
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
computer game by Mad Doc Software
Mad Doc Software
Rockstar New England, formerly Mad Doc Software, is a computer game development company founded in 1999 by Dr. Ian Lane Davis. The company is based in New England in Andover, Massachusetts, just north of Boston.-Overview:...
and released by Vivendi Universal on November 5, 2007 It was received very poorly in contrast to its predecessors.
Empire Earth Mobile
Empire Earth Mobile
Empire Earth Mobile is a turn-based strategy game for the cell phone based on the original Empire Earth. Empire Earth Mobile was written in Java form, and was developed by Vivendi instead of Stainless Steel Studios...
is a Civilization
Civilization (series)
Civilization is a series of turn-based strategy, 4X video games produced by Sid Meier. Basic gameplay functions are similar throughout the series, namely, buiding a civilization on a macro-scale from prehistory up to the near future...
style TBS
Turn-based strategy
A turn-based strategy game is a strategy game where players take turns when playing...
developed by Vivendi and published by Wonderphone. It is quite smaller than any other title in the series, with only four epochs and other condensed features.
Marketing
The series' tag line for marketing (which is also the ending statement to the in-game video at the loading of Empire Earth) is:as the games are very epoch diverse.
Demise
The Empire Earth series was ended with the release of Empire Earth IIIEmpire Earth III
Empire Earth III, also called EE3, is a real-time strategy computer game developed by Mad Doc Software and published by Sierra Entertainment, released on November 6, 2007...
, it received mainly negative and average reviews and widespread condemnation from fans of the series. Any remnants of it were removed from Mad Doc Software
Mad Doc Software
Rockstar New England, formerly Mad Doc Software, is a computer game development company founded in 1999 by Dr. Ian Lane Davis. The company is based in New England in Andover, Massachusetts, just north of Boston.-Overview:...
's official website. On November 1, 2008, multiplayer support was dropped for Empire Earth
Empire Earth
Empire Earth, also known as EE, is a real-time strategy computer game developed by Stainless Steel Studios and released on November 23, 2001. It is the first game in the Empire Earth series...
, Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest
Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest
Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest, also known as AoC, is the official expansion pack for the real-time strategy game Empire Earth. Art of Conquest was developed by Mad Doc Software, and was released on 17 September 2002 in the United States. The game was released in Europe later in the year, and...
and Empire Earth II
Empire Earth II
Empire Earth II, also called EE2, is a real-time strategy computer game developed by Mad Doc Software and published by Vivendi Universal Games on April 26, 2005. It is a sequel to the 2001 bestselling game Empire Earth, which was developed by the now-defunct Stainless Steel Studios...
. Leaving only Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy
Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy
Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy, abbreviated to EE II:AoS or AoS for short, is the official expansion pack for the 2005 game, Empire Earth II. Released on 15 February 2006, and developed by Mad Doc Software, Art of Supremacy presents new features for Empire Earth II...
, Empire Earth III
Empire Earth III
Empire Earth III, also called EE3, is a real-time strategy computer game developed by Mad Doc Software and published by Sierra Entertainment, released on November 6, 2007...
,and Empires: Dawn of the Modern World
Empires: Dawn of the Modern World
Empires: Dawn of the Modern World is a history-based real-time strategy computer game developed by Stainless Steel Studios and released on October 21, 2003...
with multiplayer servers.
Empires: Dawn of the Modern World multiplayer is no longer very active due to bugs and glitches which were not fixed by the developer. Online activity continues to dwindle on Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy
Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy
Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy, abbreviated to EE II:AoS or AoS for short, is the official expansion pack for the 2005 game, Empire Earth II. Released on 15 February 2006, and developed by Mad Doc Software, Art of Supremacy presents new features for Empire Earth II...
and Empire Earth III
Empire Earth III
Empire Earth III, also called EE3, is a real-time strategy computer game developed by Mad Doc Software and published by Sierra Entertainment, released on November 6, 2007...
due to the lack of updates and support.
Reception
Empire Earth, the first in the series, was well received by the critics, averaging an 82% overall. Empire Earth II did not do as well as its predecessor, with only a 79% average. The expansion packs were given mediocre reviews at best, with Conquest averaging 66% and Supremacy averaging 61%. Empires: Dawn of the Modern WorldEmpires: Dawn of the Modern World
Empires: Dawn of the Modern World is a history-based real-time strategy computer game developed by Stainless Steel Studios and released on October 21, 2003...
had a closer rating to Empire Earth than anything else in the series, with an 81% average. Empire Earth mobile averaged about 77%. Empire Earth 3 was received poorly, averaging a press score of 4.8 according to Gamestats.