Age of Empires Online: Celeste Fan Project

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The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War

Age of Empires Online: Celeste Fan Project is a fan-run revival of the original Age of Empires Online, which was discontinued by Microsoft. As a community project launched in 2017, it maintains a niche but active RTS player base, mostly composed of dedicated fans. While not as popular as mainstream RTS games, its weekend activity peaks and ongoing support likely keep daily active players in the low thousands range. It is not run by major publishers but has support from a dedicated fan community.

The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War is a licensed mobile RTS/strategy game by NetEase, released in late 2021. While initial launch interest was strong thanks to the IP and solid marketing, typical player retention for mobile strategy games stabilizes at a lower active base over time. NetEase titles perform well in Asian and international markets but generally see gradual decline after 2-3 years. As a mobile-focused, session-based game (not a full persistent MMO), it likely maintains around 70,000 daily active players globally by mid-2024.