Under Microsoft, Relic has shown to be able to support AoE4 long term. Hard to say if they do the same thing under SEGA, but unless SEGA decides to flip the kill switch, Relic has the capability of actually doing the right thing long term. We'll see what happens in the next couple of months.
Just follow the money, Sega corporate overlords are going full EA.
Recent proof;
Sonic-maker Sega offers to buy Angry Birds creator Rovio for $776 million, April 17, 2023:
https://fortune.com/2023/04/17/sonic-maker-sega-offers-buy-angry-birds-creator-rovio-776-million/
Japan’s Sega is doubling down on console and smartphone gaming for long-term growth as its traditional businesses of pachinko and arcade machines face dwindling audiences and have been in recent years hit by waves of Covid-19 restrictions. Some of its best known titles include Sonic the Hedgehog, Crazy Taxi and Yakuza. Analysts agree Rovio’s existing games lineup will bring it solid cash flow, but disagree on the deal’s other merits.
“Among the rapidly growing global gaming market, the mobile gaming market has especially high potential, and it has been Sega’s long-term goal to accelerate its expansion in this field,” Sega Chief Executive Officer Haruki Satomi said in the statement.
Deal with Sega as you would with EA (an IP hostage situation such as EA Star Wars).
That means Dirty Harry/Super Mario Bros diplomacy such as this;
More ANGRY Sega consumers are a win.
Being too nice, just means Sega will milk the franchise/IP as they did with Total Warhammer with overpriced DLCs.