The game AoE was introduced to Vietnam in 1997 and has become an essential spiritual food for students at that time. The AoE battles held outside internet cafes, the enthusiastic comments from fans, and the challenges from the managers resonated on aoevietnam.org, all contributed to a vibrant community and created striking moments in the AoE life in Vietnam.
Over time, the internet became widely available in Vietnam, leading to the emergence of online AoE battles. Online competition software like Hamachi and Garena LAN Game made AoE flourish tremendously within the Vietnamese fan community. However, most of the online competition software at that time originated from abroad, with many interfaces and features making it difficult for the AoE community to connect and interact. Thus, the connection between communities from different regions was truly limited during this period.
On March 30, 2018, GameTV, the predecessor of GTV Corporation, officially made a breakthrough in the development and connection of the AoE community by launching GTV Plus – an online AoE competition software created and developed by Vietnamese engineers and technicians. This is seen as a step up for legendary games like AoE I, CS 1.1, and Warcraft 3, and it also solidifies the online AoE community’s development at that time.
On December 30, 2019, Garena officially announced the closure of Garena LAN Game, causing the AoE fan community to flock to GTV Plus in increasing numbers. This situation revealed many features and shortcomings of GTV Plus as the number of players accessing it skyrocketed. However, through all the efforts, learning, and listening to the sincere contributions from players, GTV Plus gradually became the favored LAN Game competition software and secured a certain position within the Vietnamese gaming community.
However, over time, technology has advanced, and players’ demands have increased. The fact that AoE has been an offline game with no updates or changes for 20 years has led to frustration and a lack of competitiveness, as there have been no forms or titles to affirm the skills and levels of players, unlike games like League of Legends, Arena of Valor, or other high-combat titles.
Understanding the feelings and desires of gamers over the past period, the Big Update version of GPlay along with the blockbuster “AoE Ranking” will be a completely new breath in the Vietnamese market appearing this August. This is seen as a significant step in inspiring and rekindling emotions, helping elevate the competition in online AoE matches to new heights.
The introduction of GPlay along with the blockbuster “AoE Ranking” is one of the affirmations of GTV’s commitment to the community, in addition to community tournaments like AoE Cơm Canh Cà – Cơm Có Thịt or Cơm Hải Sản. Furthermore, GPlay is also the result of gathering feedback, refreshing ideas, and deeply caring about the community from GTV’s technicians. This is deemed the foundation for GPlay to secure a solid place in the hearts of AoE fans in Vietnam.