Microsoft is planning to bring certain console and Windows PC games to iOS and Android devices, according to a report from Japan's Nikkei, as part of a deal with Japanese smartphone game maker KLab. A report from Reuters, sourcing Nikkei, says one of those titles will be a free-to-play version of Age of Empires.
The mobile version of Age of Empires will reportedly hit iOS and Android by the end of Microsoft's current fiscal year, which comes to a close at the end of June.
Microsoft has already released a handful of games for competing mobile platforms. The company released a version of Xbox 360 game Kinectimals for iOS in 2011 and Android in 2012. Twisted Pixel's Ms. Splosion Man made its way to iOS earlier this year. The company has also released iOS and Android apps that support Xbox 360 and Windows PC titles, like the Xbox SmartGlass app and the Halo Waypoint app.
Update: In a statement to Polygon, a Microsoft spokesperson says the company is licensing its Age of Empires IP for a mobile game bound for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. Microsoft's full statement follows.
"Today, KLab Inc. announced a licensing agreement with Microsoft Corp. to develop a mobile version of Microsoft Studio's Age of Empires franchise, which will be initially developed in English for iOS and Android and launched globally, with plans to release the game in other languages and on Windows Phone in the future. Some reports included incorrect information about additional Xbox Live-based games on iOS and Android but there are no further announcements beyond Age of Empires at this time."