Will Multiplayer ever take off?

I just don't ever see this getting to anything close to AoE 2 levels. Not that I'd expect it to, but even though I've only had it for a few hours - I installed it at 5pm, it's now 11.30pm, which is what I expect to be peak time - I've seen barely any games and only managed to join one, which ended prematurely due to lag (presumably because the others players were in far away continents).

It would be nice to have the security of being able to play a Regional game at whatever hour on whatever day, even if you only have to wait a few minutes. Maybe it's too early to call but having played a lot of AoE II, on my first impressions it doesn't look like the competitive scene will take off. It's a shame 'cos I think this is a really good remake so far that will get better.