Sandy Petersen, a former developer who worked on the Age of Empires series, recently shared an interesting anecdote about Microsoft’s role in the development of Age of Empires II: The Conquerors expansion. Petersen posted on X/Twitter, explaining how the decision to add the Korean civilization was influenced by business strategy rather than historical accuracy.
According to Petersen, Microsoft insisted on including Koreans in The Conquerors DLC despite his objections. He explained, “Koreans, greatly to their credit, were not conquerors. They stayed in their lane. While they’re cool, they don’t fit the Conquerors theme.” However, Microsoft justified the decision based on Starcraft’s immense success in South Korea, arguing that the real-time strategy game had sold three million copies in the region. Petersen countered this by pointing out that Starcraft itself did not feature a Korean civilization, making the argument questionable. Nevertheless, Microsoft remained firm in its stance, leading the development team to add the civilization within the final five weeks of production—without receiving any additional development time.
This rushed implementation led to some notable controversies. Petersen recalled three key mistakes: incorrect artwork for the Turtle Ship, labeling the Sea of Japan by a disputed name, and referencing Japan’s invasion of Korea between 1592 and 1598, which was a sensitive historical topic at the time. The backlash even resulted in a Microsoft representative being arrested in Korea. Despite Microsoft’s expectations, The Conquerors expansion did not replicate Starcraft’s commercial success in Korea. However, both Age of Empires II and its expansion still performed well globally, solidifying their legacy in the real-time strategy genre.
