Age of Empires 2 fans are familiar with the game getting new factions. In a recent revelation, Sandy Petersen, one of the original designers, discussed how Microsoft demanded the inclusion of a Korean faction in the first expansion pack, The Conquerors.

“Once someone simply repeats a previous argument, it’s clear they are no longer functioning from logic or intelligence.”

Petersen clarified that adding Koreans to the expansion was not logical, stating, “Koreans, greatly to their credit, were not conquerors. They stayed in their lane.”

Microsoft’s decision was influenced by the sales of StarCraft in Korea, which stood at 3 million copies. Petersen questioned this connection, arguing that StarCraft had no Korean factions, yet this pointed to the larger influence Microsoft had over the game’s development.

Despite initial resistance, Petersen complied with the request to add the faction under tight deadlines, leading to compromises and errors, including references to historical conflicts involving Korea that caused complications upon release.