The Game Developers Conference 2007 is only a day in and already the surprises have been racking up, not least that Glu Mobile have announced an agreement with Microsoft to develop and publish a mobile adaptation of Age of Empires III.

The award-winning real-time strategy (RTS), developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios, is all Glu’s as it has secured worldwide rights to develop and publish a version of the multi-million selling game that is expected to launch sometime in 2008.

“We’re excited to partner with Microsoft on another of their most valued brands”, said Jill Braff, general manager of North America, Glu Mobile.

“Age of Empires is one of the highest-rated and best-selling RTS franchises on the PC, and we look forward to working with Microsoft to replicate that success on mobile.”

“Glu’s passion and experience with mobile games is well-known, and we’re happy to extend our relationship with Glu and see the ‘Age of Empires III’ experience made available to a new audience”, said Sandy Ting, Director of Business Development for Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business.

>> Link - Official Site/Glu Mobile