We cornered Ensemble Studio's Bruce Shelley at the Microsoft Gamestock event in Seattle this morning to discuss the company's direction after Age of Empires II: Age of Kings. While the game is still showing extremely strong sales, Ensemble has already started working on an expansion pack called The Conquerors.

　　Since neither Ensemble nor Microsoft has officially announced the add-on pack yet, Shelley was hesitant to reveal too much information. However, we did learn that The Conquerors will add five brand-new civilizations in addition to Age of King's existing races, each of which will now possess a unique technology or skill. Other additions in the expansion pack include four new hero-oriented campaigns and an expanded multiplayer component that includes capture-the-flag matches and maps with geographical outlines of Japan, England, France, and other countries.

　　A retail copy of Age of Empires II will be required to play The Conquerors. The expansion pack is expected to release this fall, and we'll be bringing you more details about its new features and units at this year's E3.