Version 1.4 “The Living Strategy Update” Adds a new Living Strategy game view, improves AI, reduces micromanagement
PLYMOUTH, Mich., June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Stardock Entertainment and Oxide Games, in partnership with Xbox Game Studios, today announced the release of a major update to their ambitious new turn-based strategy game, Ara: History Untold today. This update marks the first significant content release for the title since Stardock assumed direct oversight of the game’s ongoing production last month. Titled the “Living Strategy Update,” version 1.4 has been developed based directly upon months of extensive community feedback and introduces a substantial array of new features, gameplay enhancements, and quality-of-life improvements.
Check out the v1.4 Living Strategy Update Video:
https://youtu.be/LHH-fP-Ptfo
Key new features of Ara: History Untold version 1.4 include:
- Living Strategy View: Now the primary default gameplay viewpoint, this feature blends elements of the detailed Living World close-up perspective with the broader strategic overview. The design enables players to seamlessly manage cities, armies, and resources with greater ease while remaining immersed in the game’s detailed environments.
- Advanced Map Generator: Version 1.4 introduces a significant upgrade to the map generation algorithm, now featuring twice as many strategically distinct regions per map size. These enhancements deliver more intelligent resource distribution and improved player starting positions, offering expanded strategic depth and greater replayability. A newly updated Earth map makes full use of these improved generation mechanics.
- Strategy AI Player v2.0: The computer opponent’s artificial intelligence systems have been extensively overhauled to provide players with more meaningful strategic competition, especially during the late-game period. AI opponents will now make more nuanced decisions, better optimize their resources and challenge players with deeper strategic considerations.
- Significant Micromanagement Reduction: Leveraging the new AI systems and the citizen simulation system, the game’s citizens can now automatically select items from the player’s inventory to self-supply their dwellings, shops, factories, and other buildings based on their needs. Players can easily toggle this automated feature or guide citizen behaviors directly using in-game Policies, maintaining full control over their gameplay experience.
- Battle System Improvements: Combat mechanics have become deeper, longer-lasting, and more transparent, supported by a new Battle Viewer panel. This panel clearly explains battle outcomes and provides improved tactical clarity, helping players better understand and manage military encounters.
- Graphics Engine Optimization: Extensive updates have significantly improved game optimization, reducing GPU usage and significantly increasing framerate stability, particularly in later-game scenarios.
- Simulation Speed Enhancements: Optimizations to the game’s simulation engine deliver faster turn times and improved UI responsiveness, contributing to a smoother playing experience.
- Gameplay and Balance Enhancements: Version 1.4 features numerous gameplay improvements, including pacing adjustment, recipe tuning, and extensive balance revisions. Additionally, dozens of community-reported bugs have been addressed, further refining the overall experience.
Ara: History Untold is developed as a historical 4X strategy title, carefully designed from first principles. Stardock, partnered closely with Microsoft and Oxide, has worked rapidly and collaboratively to make this update comprehensive and attractive.
“It has been a real pleasure working with our colleagues at Microsoft for this update. The teams at Stardock, Oxide, and Microsoft have so much energy going into these updates. Version 1.4 is just a taste of what we have in store,” said Brad Wardell, Chief Executive Officer for Stardock and Oxide. “In an industry where true 1.0 products are rare, especially ones in established genres, this has been a wonderful opportunity to try out new ideas and concepts that we in the strategy community have been thinking about for decades.”
Ara: History Untold v1.4 – “The Living Strategy Update” is available now to all existing players on Steam and with Xbox Game Pass for PC. For the latest information on updates, community initiatives, and future content, visit the official website at www.arahistoryuntold.com.
About Stardock Entertainment
Stardock is a pioneer in the strategy gaming genre headquartered in Plymouth, Mich. that has been developing and publishing strategy and simulation games since 1993 with the original release of Galactic Civilizations. More recent games have included Sins of a Solar Empire, Ashes of the Singularity, Elemental: Fallen Enchantress and Offworld Trading Company. Learn more at www.stardock.com.
About Oxide Games
Oxide Games is a video game studio founded in January 2013 by a group of veteran strategy game developers, including Dan Baker, Brian Wade, Marc Meyer, Tim Kipp, and Brad Wardell. Leadership at Oxide Games previously worked on ground-breaking strategy titles, such as Sid Meier’s Civilization V & VI. Oxide Games developed the Nitrous Engine to support the release of Ashes of the Singularity, which continues to set GPU benchmarking standards. Oxide Games released 4X grand strategy title Ara: History Untold alongside Xbox Game Studios in 2024.
Media Contact:
Colin Regan
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Zebra Partners
SOURCE Stardock Entertainment