Classic Star Wars Game Gets Surprise Update 17 Years After Release

A Star Wars video game that launched all the way back in 2006 just received a surprising new update. In the early 2000s, there were a variety of great Star Wars games that came about. Some of these included Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and Star Wars: Republic Commando, simply to name a few. While none of these games in question were the ones that received this update, the patch has instead rolled out for a title synonymous with the PC platform. 

As of this week, a new patch for the real-time strategy game Star Wars: Empire at War was pushed out on PC. Following its launch in 2006, Empire at War eventually received a new expansion titled Forces of Corruption later in that same year. Since that time, the game's multiplayer functionality eventually went live again on Steam in 2017 after previously having been shut off. As for this week's update, though, it came about without any warning and has fixed a couple of lingering bugs that players have found. 

You can find the full patch notes for this new Star Wars: Empire at War update here:

• Both games have been converted from 32-bit to 64-bit applications, which will solve many out-of-memory bugs and crashes that players were experiencing.
• Multiplayer out-of-sync issues have been addressed, which should improve stability.
• There have been numerous gameplay fixes addressing balance and incorrect unit behavior.  

Moving forward, it's hard to know if Star Wars: Empire at War will continue to receive additional patches of this type. Given that the game is no longer actively being worked on, this could very well be the final update that the game ever sees. That being said, there has been at least one small update that has rolled out annually for Empire at War in 2021, 2022, and now 2023. With this in mind, it perhaps wouldn't be a shock to see another small patch drop at some point in 2024. 

Are you surprised to see that Empire at War is still being supported so long after its launch? And is this a Star Wars game that you have played for yourself previously? Be sure to let me know either down in the comments section or hit me up on social media at @MooreMan12. 

[H/T PC GamesN]