'Anno 1800' Brings Back Age of Steam Era Trade and Politics
The "Anno" series is coming back for a more down-to-earth installment, as Ubisoft announced that their next strategy game for the franchise will be set in the 1800s. Called "Anno 1800," the new game will showcase world-spanning empires set in the early days of industrialization, as the company revealed at Gamescom 2017.
While the latest "Anno 2205" will have players going out there ferrying exotic materials between this planet and the moon, the newly announced title by Ubisoft takes a 180-degree turn for the history books.
"Anno 1800," set in the 19th century of global conquest and steam engines, will be the next game to be tackled by development studio Blue Byte for publisher Ubisoft. The news was revealed on Tuesday, Aug. 22, along with an official trailer announcing the new entry to the "Anno" series.
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Details are scarce as of now, besides those that were put up on the game's new official website. So far, "Anno 2018" is expected to come to the PC by winter of 2018, with gameplay similar to the city-building mechanics of other "Anno" games.
The new title is expected to have the requisite parts expected from an "Anno" title: a story-based campaign, a sandbox mode, and several "Anno" multiplayer game modes. What can be considered as a new for the franchise is the "Anno Union," a community where players and developers can discuss feature requests and feedback regarding the game.
As for the setting, the game description hints at a focus on exploration and relationships between other factions. "Anno 1800 brings players to the dawn of the industrial age, a time of industrialisation, diplomacy and discovery," the game's description read.
"Players will have the chance to prove their skills as a ruler, as they create huge metropolises, plan efficient logistic networks, explore and settle new lands and dominate their opponents by diplomacy, trade or warfare," the game synopsis added, as expected from an "Anno" game.
The video below shows the official announcement trailer introducing "Anno 1800" by Blue Byte and Ubisoft, slated for launch sometime in the winter of 2018.
