Image credit: World's Edge/Forgotten Empires/CaptureAge/Tantalus Media/Wicked Witch/Feral Interactive/Xbox Game Studios
Attending Red Bull Wololo: Londinium earlier this year and seeing the grand finals at Royal Albert Hall was an experience like no other. One thing that stood out to me from this event was just how lively and vibrant the Age of Empires community is.
The sheer love and reverence for the series was evident throughout the event, and I had the opportunity to speak to one of the people who works towards this – Emma Bridle, Director of Player Engagement at World’s Edge, the Xbox Game Studio responsible for the Age of Empires franchise.
Behind the scenes of a legendary franchise
Red Bull Wololo: Londinium ran from April 1 to April 6, 2026, with a spectacular grand finals event for both Age of Empires IV and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition taking place at the Royal Albert Hall.
I attended the event for Kyusai and was blown away by the sheer scale of it, along with how passionate the Age of Empires community was. The energy in the main hall was electric, but even in the hallways or by the bars, fans were excitedly discussing their favorite players and theorizing on who’d take the crown home.
To learn more about the world of Age of Empires, I sat down with Emma Bridle, Director of Player Engagement at World’s Edge, which is the Xbox Game Studio that takes charge of all things Age of Empires.
We dug into Bridle’s history to start, looking at how she ended up in the gaming world. She explained that she’d been in gaming for 13 years, sticking true to Xbox the whole time, and had started with a master’s degree in digital journalism.
“I’ve been playing games since I was a toddler,” Bridle reminisced, “My dad was in IT growing up, so we had PCs at home, and I used to play DOOM on his lap with a joystick, and my mum would be horrified, ’cause she’d find me, like, gunning down monsters…I’ve always loved games.”
One of the best things about Red Bull Wololo: Londinium was the live orchestra that played alongside the matches. It added a divinely cinematic feel to the event, and Bridle shared that she’d gotten to see them in rehearsals.
“Red Bull took me along, they didn’t tell me where I was going,” she enthused, “… [I walked] into Shoreditch Town Hall and they’re playing one of the tracks from Age of Empires II…There may have been lots of little quiet tears!”
During the Londinium event, Bridle had been working on a video project, chatting with players about what the Age of Empires franchise meant to them.
“One of my favorite parts of my job is hearing the stories of what the games mean to them,” she explained, “And because we’re turning 30 as a franchise next year, a lot of folks have been playing most of their lives.
“And so we just invited our players to come by and tell us those stories so we could capture them on film and start collecting them. And so I’ve just heard people who are married because… someone asked someone out through a custom scenario in-game.”
She described another story that a fan had shared; the fan didn’t remember, but he’d sit with his brother when he was three to play the game. He was mad that he couldn’t play, so in a move that’ll send shivers up most players’ spines, he ended up deleting his brother’s save file.
“It’s wonderful. It really just reminds me why I love what I do and these are the people that I get to work with,” Bridle added.
Building community and belonging
Being Director of Player Engagement seems like a fun but challenging role, so I quizzed Bridle on what a typical day in her work week was like.
“Oh, exceedingly varied. I have friends in other industries and trying to explain my job is difficult,” she joked, “Last year, we were the very first gaming partner at the Louvre…less than 12 months later, we’ve sold out the Royal Albert Hall.
“So, my friends think my job is very glamorous, but it can be anything, really. I run a team of super passionate people, the community team, who are running all things related to player engagement. So, customer support, social media, working with our creators. It’s a balance of programmatically working on those things.”
Looking at common misconceptions about her work, Bridle noted that lots of folk think you need to be an engineer or adept at coding to work in gaming.
“There are so many elements and facets of game development. It’s not just engineering. It’s a blend of art and science,” she mused, “And so we have people doing all kinds of work from all kinds of backgrounds.
“I’ve hired, you know, content creators or graphic designers or historians to do roles on my team…We work with historians, and different peoples from all over the world…representing their culture and history.”
“So I think it’s really just the many facets of this kind of work, and how amazing it is, and that gaming is not just for coders.”
I wondered if Bridle had any advice for someone hoping to work on a team like hers, and she noted that, as there isn’t really any academic training for this particular niche, the most important thing above all else is passion.
“So if someone runs an Instagram account on the side, or they’re a mod in a subreddit,” she explained, “or, you know, they’re showing that passion to a community of any kind. That’s great experience for me.”
Towards the end of the chat, I asked Bridle what she thought the biggest challenges facing gaming were in 2026.
“I think people are very careful how they spend their time and their money and their attention,” She mused, “there are so many ways to spend your time now. So I think for gaming, there’s also so much great TV, cinema, and, you know, live experiences and things.
“So I think that would be one of them; really trying to get people to spend their time with you. We’re very lucky in what we do, that we have fans who have been playing a lot of their lives. And for them, a lot of people have just been telling me that, for them, it’s a comfort to come back and play with us.
“ …in 2026, the world is an increasingly complicated place. And I think we’re all seeking something that feels comfortable and safe, and so the fact that we can be that for some people, that’s pretty special.”
As someone who’s stuck with most of their favorite franchises for more than a decade – looking at you, World of Warcraft – I couldn’t agree more.
Playing a favorite game in a tough period can feel like coming home, and based on the bustling crowds at Red Bull Wololo: Londinium, it seems like Age of Empires provides that level of comfort and joy for a plethora of people, for everyone from casters and esports team members, to players and supporters.
FAQs
The first Age of Empires game was released on October 15, 1997.
While all the Age of Empires games have their merits, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, and Age of Mythology: Retold are arguably the best out of the bunch. I’d throw Age of Empires IV in there, too.
Yes, Age of Empires is fun to watch as an esport. I wasn’t certain this’d be the case until I attended Red Bull Wololo: Londinium, but both Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and Age of Empires IV lend themselves beautifully to strategic, intense gameplay.
The best esports to watch will vary based on which genres you enjoy playing yourself, but World of Warcraft, League of Legends, DOTA 2, and VALORANT are all high-energy and exciting to watch.
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