[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f4IneYqyAGZyomJdO9WsSw369WiqFJB0819T9IWdyg6U":3},{"locale":4,"topic":5,"relatedTrends":32},"en",{"topic":6,"slug":7,"nicheKey":8,"nicheName":9,"nicheNameEn":9,"nicheIcon":10,"country":11,"countries":12,"agentKey":13,"score":14,"type":15,"detectedAt":16,"sources":17,"evidence":29},"Age of Empires II surge to esports prominence in 2026","age-of-empires-ii-surge-to-esports-prominence-in-2026","gaming","Gaming & Esports","🎮","US",[11],"gaming-US",84,"declining","2026-04-12T15:43:19.576Z",[18,24],{"title":19,"url":20,"domain":21,"snippet":22,"content":23},"Remember Age of Empires II? In 2026, It's Become an Esports Sensation","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pcmag.com\u002Fnews\u002Fremember-age-of-empires-ii-in-2026-its-become-an-esports-sensation","pcmag.com","The 27-year-old Age of Empires II attracted over 115,000 viewers for its Red Bull championship final, becoming an esports sensation in 2026.",null,{"title":19,"url":25,"domain":26,"snippet":27,"content":28},"https:\u002F\u002Fau.pcmag.com\u002Fgames\u002F117056\u002Fremember-age-of-empires-ii-in-2026-its-become-an-esports-sensation","au.pcmag.com","Age of Empires II has become an esports sensation in 2026, drawing over 115,000 viewers to a Red Bull championship final.","PCMag editors select and review products . If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our . \n\n! (Credit: Microsoft) \n\nEnsemble Studios' 1999 RTS hit Age of Empires II is approaching its 30th birthday, but despite its age and the genre falling out of the zeitgeist years ago, it's more popular than ever. At a recent Red Bull Wololo: Londinium tournament with a $170,000 prize pool, the final pulled in over 116,000 live viewers, eclipsing the 2022 record of 114,000, \").\n\n\") was one of the biggest games of my youth. My dad played it, then I played it, and my brothers did too. We had four desktop PCs we would use to play 2v2 LAN games; 15-minute no-rush rules, of course. I played it again as an adult when the remastered versions were released, and the  is still a highlight at LAN parties with friends today. Clearly, I'm not the only one still enjoying this near-three-decade-old game.\n\nThe Red Bull event on April 6 set a viewership record for the game, \"), with 115,944 peak viewers. With 36 hours an\n\n[Content truncated...]",{"mentionsLast7Days":30,"mentionsLast30Days":30,"firstSeen":16,"lastSeen":16,"relatedEntities":31},2,[20],[33,38,42,46,50,54],{"topic":34,"slug":35,"score":36,"type":37,"country":11,"nicheIcon":10},"BBC critics' picks of best films of 2026 so far","bbc-critics-picks-of-best-films-of-2026-so-far",70,"spiking",{"topic":39,"slug":40,"score":36,"type":41,"country":11,"nicheIcon":10},"Gaming & Esports news 2026","gaming-esports-news-2026","stable",{"topic":43,"slug":44,"score":45,"type":15,"country":11,"nicheIcon":10},"Epic Games Fortnite reset with Disney Universe crossover","epic-games-fortnite-reset-with-disney-universe-crossover",64,{"topic":47,"slug":48,"score":49,"type":37,"country":11,"nicheIcon":10},"'Don't Speak' debut album by Culture Wars reviewed","don-t-speak-debut-album-by-culture-wars-reviewed",62,{"topic":51,"slug":52,"score":53,"type":41,"country":11,"nicheIcon":10},"Gaming & Esports trends","gaming-esports-trends",60,{"topic":55,"slug":56,"score":57,"type":15,"country":11,"nicheIcon":10},"Metaninza launches 16Arena Labs full-stack gaming and esports","metaninza-launches-16arena-labs-full-stack-gaming-and-esports",59]