Anno 117: Pax Romana News

How are we creating the vision for a new Anno game? Which challenges do we need to face when working on the concept of a new game? Let’s dive into the topic of designing an Anno game together with our Game Director Jan Dungel!



For this blog, we’ll first go a bit back in time to the beginnings of Anno 117: Pax Romana. Then we talk about the roles of Game Director and Creative Director in our team and about our overall approach to Game Design.

This is the first of two blogs on this subject: the second blog will go a bit more into the day-to-day work of the Game Design team on Anno 117.


So, a little while ago, Anno 1800’s postlaunch was still ongoing and we started working on the console version, a small group of the team here in Mainz started brainstorming on the next project. Clearly, we wanted (and needed) a new project to follow after Anno 1800 – but what kind of project? In those discussions, several key points needed to be decided upon.

For example: What type of game do we want to create? – Well, that one was answered rather quickly: after the massive success of Anno 1800, of course we wanted to build on that with a new Anno title.

Part of this decision obviously had to be: What then should the setting for the next Anno game be? Now you know: it’s inspired by Ancient Rome!

Tied deeply into these discussions also was: What are our strategic goals for the new Anno game? For example, for Anno 1800 one huge goal was to go back to the roots – with the game being an answer to the feedback to Anno 2205.

Additionally, we checked if and how we achieved our goals for our last game(s) and evaluate past strategies and successes.

Questions like these set the baseline for all future discussions, therefore, let’s elaborate on the last two points a bit more.

[h2]Agreeing on strategic goals[/h2]
One goal for Anno 117: Pax Romana, for example, is to provide once again a strong Anno for our fans and hardcore players after the massive success of Anno 1800; BUT we also have several points we want to improve on – a key being the experience for new players. That means tackling the topic of onboarding, for example. We are quite aware that saying things like this occasionally results in some worried faced within our core audience – but we consider it achievable, albeit challenging.

Game Designs job then ultimately is finding ways to achieve the goals we set ourselves for the new game.

[h2]Agreeing on the setting[/h2]
Indeed, the setting for any Anno is one of the earliest things we decide on. That’s cause the setting itself can already answer strategic questions.

If we, for example, wanted to grow our Scandinavian audience (to use a VERY random example), maybe Vikings or the time of the Great Northern War would be well-suited.

It also immediately determines the narrative approach, as well as feature set. Anno 1800 could distinguish between sailing and steam ships, Anno 2070 could add aircrafts – and both examples impact logistics, warfare and more in these games and therefore have large impacts on many layers of the overall design.

And – as you know, we decided to set Anno 117: Pax Romana in an Ancient Roman setting. There were several reasons (and therefore also answers to strategic questions) for this, starting with the fact that (as we also know from previous surveys) Rome simply is a fan-favourite setting – something we know would go very well with our existing audience.

Rome, as a setting, also simply is an obvious choice for a builder game like Anno. Rome stands for a big empire, many different cultures, a network of trade (with plenty of trade by ship), centralised but also spread across many provinces (not unimportant when thinking about postlaunch opportunities) and the Romans themselves as builders – from towns to infrastructure to large public buildings.

The setting, also, has mass-appeal, and people know Rome and the Romans (to the point where parts of this knowledge might be considered stereotypes). That – to an extend – also provides a certain risk: we needed our own take, the Anno take, to the setting we have chosen.

There are so many aspects that appear in people’s minds when thinking about “the Romans”. The typical imperial legionnaires, political intrigue and Caesar’s murder, gladiators and all the ruins still visible today.


Another obvious question we had to ask ourselves, was: What type of game is Anno? And what makes Anno, Anno, from a Game Design perspective?

The first question is not that easy to answer, actually. And we see that often when following discussions between our fans as well.

Anno is a premiere builder game within the strategy genre – you’re doing far more than just building cities, though!

No, Anno goes beyond that and includes city building, deep economy simulation, 4X strategy elements and an immersive world with a narrative layer to hold it together and dive deeper into the setting. These systems interact with each other to a degree that Jan suggests Anno turns almost into a puzzle game.

It’s a unique mix and this is our specialization in the genre: we are Anno. And we call ourselves a builder game since these puzzle pieces, this complexity, is due to all the things players build in our games: cities, relationships, trading networks, fleets and strategies.



In fact, self-identification is key (we have talked about the approach by our Brand team previously on the Anno Union), and we’re looking in detail at the evolution of our own games: Which new mechanics were introduced in past games? Which new features? Which features were tried and then never returned? Which features did we love and which ones did we not like?

That also includes putting ourselves into the place of the player, and asking the question: What are my expectations to an Anno game from this perspective? What are my needs and wishes when playing an Anno game? What excites me? What bores me? Accordingly, playing our own games, including older titles, also plays an important role for our Game Design team (and the onboarding of new Designers) in understanding what makes Anno, Anno.

In short: we need to become Anno players and remove ourselves from seat the of the developer for a bit. After all, ultimately, we’re (also) building the game for ourselves.

Let’s use one prominent example for this “Anno DNA” topic: Islands!

Islands are another unique selling point of Anno, a key ingredient since the very first game – and, phew, a much-discussed subject within our community as well. For us, islands – or at least the principle of islands: space limited areas with a logistics area between them – are core to the Anno experience. They would not need to be literal islands, but the limitation of space (through island size, number and design) and the challenges (see: puzzle!) that arise based on that are key – they create a purpose for the player and influence many other aspects of the game’s design.

Additionally, islands naturally communicate space: there’s no doubt where players can build and where they can’t. The separation between building area and logistics area is clear and doesn’t require and UI help or artificial map borders.

As many of you also pointed out in the past: islands are also a key aspect that makes us historically inspired but not historically accurate. Our real world does consist of many larger land masses, which are not present in an Anno game.

From Anno 1602 over Anno 1404 to Anno 1800 – the world is always made up of a multitude of islands with unique designs and terrain features. Easily visible by a quick glance at the minimap.


This is maybe a good time to stop for a second and ask: What does a Game Director do? And a Creative Director?

For us, both jobs’ responsibilities naturally overlap in many areas, since both are shaping the creative vision of the game.

Our Game Director Jan’s main task is translating the creative vision for Anno 117: Pax Romana into how the game is supposed to be. That includes narrative layers, Level Art (e.g. available building space) and Art (e.g. size of buildings) but also long-term plans (postlaunch) and all its implications.

He is directing the game and the team, with an emphasis on making sure the game is fun and that people are aligned on the vision and are not working in silos. For example, building size and island size need to work together for proper balancing, so, Game Design, Level Art and Art are in regular communication.

His tasks can go from high-level topics to low-level details like balancing.

The split in responsibilities is expressed in so far as that Jan is basically purely focused on the Anno team itself and on building the game.

Our Creative Director Manuel’s main mission is to come up with a strong creative vision for the project, communicate this vision to the team and stakeholders and to make sure that we stay on course over time. He is aligning, inspiring and challenging the team, mainly by providing direction on high-level topics. Off course he does this not alone, he is working closely with all disciplines of the Anno leadership team, most of the time with other Directors like Jan, to make sure that we achieve our goals and deliver a game that our fans and potential new audiences will love.

A big part of his work is also to represent the game and team outside of our studio. This can be within Ubisoft, or as a spokesman to our fans and press. He is also working closely with Haye (Brand Director) and her team to make sure that the way we present Anno 117: Pax Romana is in line with the creative vision of the game.



It’s important to note that – as with many other aspects that we talk about in our blogs with game development insights – job descriptions are specific to Anno. Other projects and other developers might give roles with the same names different tasks and responsibilities.

Same goes for our approach to conceptualising a new game, the way our Production team (topic of a future DevBlog) works etc. Each project and team has different needs and priorities, there rarely is a “one-size-fits-all” solution to game development that can be just used for everything.


What followed these initial questions were weeks of research into the setting and potential features. Our Senior Writer Matt started outlining the world and exploring story angles, while all of them together also had to answer questions like:

• Is the setting done too often already?
  
• What will put us apart from other games?
  
• And: Do we like it and actually want to work on it?

On the topic of features, we did some first decisions on which “old” features to keep, which to change and which are mandatory – for example, because of the setting chosen.



However: now we’re already entering the development territory and leaving the original “creating a vision” space. Therefore, we’ll cover this in a future DevBlog.

To briefly summarize: We’re always starting with asking some very fundamental questions (Type of game? Goals? Setting?) while identifying and reaffirming the series’ DNA and main pillars. Only after that we start exploring narrative and feature questions to create the basis for the game and slowly onboard the rest of the team. This is when the team starts creating high concepts and later detailed design documents.

Stay tuned for our follow-up blog when we talk about the day-to-day work of the Game Design team and how we document features and mechanics.


Did we leave anything unanswered? What do you see as absolutely core to the Anno DNA? And are there any questions you have for our Game Design team that we should answer in our next blog?

Leave us a comment below or share your questions with us on Discord !

Salvete Anno Community!

What happens when a Roman governor is sent to a province of the Empire? Well, you’ll be able to decide for yourself sometime later but let us already talk about it today: Let’s take a look at the “Romanization” feature!


Let’s start with a look at the real Roman Empire which we used as inspiration. It’s worth keeping in mind here that as with so many historical topics, historians are working with limited evidence on those ancient times.

“Romanization” is usually defined as a process of cultural integration of the people in the provinces of the Roman Empire.

But from what we know, the “Romanization” of local peoples in the provinces tended to vary quite a bit depending on location and culture. It often was a slower, indirect process but at the same time, we shouldn’t forget that the provinces themselves were usually established after brutal military conflict.

While cities were founded and a certain level of administration set up, the Romans main focus was on peace and – very importantly – taxation. Plenty of the local administration was left in the hand of local leaders, chiefs, or kings. Similarly, Roman intervention in people’s lives often was very limited, with no requirements to give up the local ways, culture or religion. Historians have a hard time defining to which degree this Romanization was planned but also how both Romans and locals looked at it due to limited written records on the topic.

There was a large motivator for people in the provinces to “romanize”, however, meaning: learn Latin, dress like Romans and adopt more Roman customs – career and influence! To make a military or political career, but also to stay relevant and compete with rivals on a local level, there was no way around becoming more Roman.

Of course, this was just a broad overview, and there are plenty of differences (for example between the Eastern provinces and Gaul or Britannia) and nuances that would go beyond the scope of this blog – after all, we want to talk about Anno 117: Pax Romana as well.

We’ll be adapting aspects of these historical events in Anno 117: Pax Romana – but as our Senior Game Writer Matt wrote in the DevBlog on World and Authenticity: "we need to cherry-pick and take liberties with the history to keep the game FUN."


As mentioned above, Romanization is a process in the provinces, therefore, this mechanic will be present in Albion – and not Latium, which basically is at the heart of the Empire.

At a core level, in your role as a governor, you can decide if your subjects in Albion should embrace the Roman way or stick to their traditions. That’s of course a rather game-y way to represent this topic: an actual governor did not have such a way to decide people’s culture. In Anno 117, this decision will lead to very different needs and requests towards you that will go beyond food and clothes but will also reach into topics like culture, traditions and mentality. More on those aspects at a later date.

Your provinces will always start with the local culture, this is how you, as a governor, are finding the province upon your arrival. That was a very important element for us, since we want you to get a feeling for the region, for its people and their culture.

But after you have started setting up the basics, it’s time to decide on the next steps. Gameplay-wise, this will take the form of upgrading your residences from Tier 1 to Tier 2. Will you make your Waders (Tier 1) embrace the Roman way? Then they will renovate their houses in Roman style, with red-tiled roofs. The “Mercators” of Tier 2 are on the road to Romanization, resulting in a vastly different look for your city – and very different demands from your population.



Letting your Waders stick with tradition, Tier 2 will instead see the arrival of the “Smiths”. The level of urbanization will also increase, but smaller huts will make place for larger houses and their needs and demands will speak of a synergy with their environment and the local customs.

Both ways are valid options for you as the governor but be prepared to not only have a visually distinct look of your respective cities, but also set up entirely different production chains and public service buildings.

Beyond that, forces outside your control might also have an eye on your decision and will react according to their own interests. You will certainly see the topic of Romanization to be covered in quests and the campaign as well.


Now, let’s take a look at two production chain examples.

The local, Celtic population in Albion very much prefers to live in harmony with the environment, like the swamps that have been mentioned before. Understandable, that they also prefer to wear trousers in the colder (and wetter) climate up north, far away from the sunny Latium.

Let us today take a look at the trousers production chain: local sheep and weld to use as dye come together in the “Hosier”, whose services are much sought-after.



For Romans, however, who saw more kinship to, for example, the people of Greece or Anatolia (who, like them, lived around the Mediterranean), using trousers was a weird, alien thing. It was a clear distinction for them between the cultured Roman and barbarians from the north (Gaul, Britannia, Germania). Even more in the time of the Principate, when ever more people from across Empire came to Rome and even joined the Senate.

The “official” stance on trousers blurred over the years, but remained a factor for a significant length of time.

Only logical, that in order to appear more Roman and get access to higher offices, locals had to adjust to Roman dress code. In Anno 117: Pax Romana, your “romanized” population will at some point ask for togas. Let’s also take a look at their production chain:



Flax to be turned into cloth by a weaver, snails who produce the precious Tyrian Purple and a loom to produce the togas.

However, here we suddenly have a complication: Snails and the expertise for producing the dye is only available in Latium! Indeed, not all goods will be producible locally, and will instead have to be shipped all the way from Latium to Albion.

Other goods might have to be shipped from Albion to Latium, of course, but that’s a topic for another day (and blog).

Over the course of your governorship, more decisions will be asked of you: from your people, other parties and likely also the Emperor himself!
The choice for the Roman or Celtic way affects each island independently, leaving you with plenty of choice on how you want to approach your role as a governor. Such a decision will immediately impact your next steps in setting up an island thanks to different production chains and public service buildings. Later on, you will also be able to have both ways on the same island – as long as you can deal with the increase in complexity in satisfying the demands of two rather different cultures at the same time.


So, future governors: have you already decided which path you want to follow? Or will you be looking for a middle-ground?

Leave us your comments and questions below!

“If a man were called to fix the period in the history of the world, during which the condition of the human race was most happy and prosperous, he would, without hesitation, name that which elapsed from the death of Domitian to the accession of Commodus.”
― Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire


“They make a desert and call it peace.”
—Tacitus, Roman Historian, quoting the Scottish chieftain Calgacus.

As announced with the reveal of Anno 117: Pax Romana just a few weeks ago, we’ll be taking you on a journey through the development of our game over the months until release.

Today, we’ve asked our Senior Game Writer, Matt Cook, to lead us through the world of Anno 117 and how we create Anno worlds inspired by ancient history.



117 AD. A time of peace… mostly.

The Roman bubble has expanded to bursting, swallowing territory from the Atlantic coast to the fertile crescent in the east. Rome has absorbed countless societies and cultures through conquest, that it is now obliged to call part of Rome, whether or not it is able to govern them.

Gone are the days of powerful voices in the Senate on such matters—ambitious officials gather instead around the Emperor’s throne; a seat easy to fall into, easier still to fall out of. Under the Pax Romana, these Emperors look to consolidate and build. Great projects are now no longer just for the city of Rome. In distant provinces, new cities (neapoles) are springing up to gather local taxes, feats of engineering are undertaken— walls, bridges, aqueducts. This is a global roman template, urban and geometric, to be unboxed wherever Rome is sovereign.

Ambitions for the provinces such as these, fuel decadent fashions back home. Like blood around the body, the heart of the empire controls the flow of goods, luxuries, technology. Its people have demands that must be met!

But some of these fringe provinces, Albion chief among them, are like the wild west. Governed by displaced indigenes, washed-up soldiers, outlaws, and you the player, the freedoms on offer here, don’t yet outnumber the dangers.

To the Romans, Albion is a land of both poverty and opportunity— underdeveloped, but strong in horses, metals and metalworking expertise. As a Roman Governor, you preside over a wilderness, and a people whose culture long pre-dates your own—how will you rule? How open will you be to their ways?



The broad outline described above shouldn’t be too contentious to historians, but how much do we stick to history in the actual game? In short, the answer is: we need to cherry-pick and take liberties with the history to keep the game FUN.

Anno is a world of islands. It has no real-world place names, no real-world people, no strict measure, even, of the passing of time. This immediately paints a picture of a parallel universe that does not necessarily have to follow the rules of our own world – while still feeling real!

Roman buildings you’ll see in game are both meticulously researched by the artists, but also products of artistic liberty and design requirements. As for Celtic buildings, sometimes an artist’s guess may anyway be as good as a historian’s. We must always remind ourselves that we are dealing with a period of history about which evidence is often limited.

Still, we designers are committed to sound research, and keen to incorporate as much detail, large and small, that we think creates a true (and fun!) impression of the time period. From beliefs to technological exchanges, we aim to show how Rome’s provinces began to invert the identity of Rome itself.

Naturally we invest in creating plausible historical characters too. We decided, for instance, that we want female characters to play a greater role in our parallel version of history than they did back in Roman times (Everything in the history points to a deeply patriarchal society in which women had very little power or freedom). Nevertheless, we strive to make them appear in roles that have some credibility, though in at least one case we break the rules entirely, simply because we like the idea of doing so. This is the trump card in Anno, reserved for the moments a better version of the game needs us to let go of realism.




[h2]Latium[/h2]
With its serene breezes, azure coves, fields of wheat and lavender, Latium is a forgotten treasure of a province, close to the heart of the empire. Years ago, a volcanic eruption devastated local cities, driving people away from the province, allowing nature to take over.

Now, in the time of the Pax Romana, many officials, including the Emperor, question why such a gem should remain deserted for old superstitions. In their view it is time for renewal: for new cities to spring up where nature ran riot, for the curse of history to be buried once and for all. Surely, with its beaches, villas and marinas, this place will make the perfect retreat for the wealthy of Rome, and be the perfect opportunity for an upcoming Governor to make a name for themselves.

Superficially, it’s paradise, the epitome of Roman Italy— tranquil, restful, a place of luxury and for pleasure-seekers looking to swim with the dolphins. Still, the brighter the summer, the thicker the shade: mysterious forces operate below the surface here, that may at first go unnoticed.

[h2]Albion[/h2]
Roman invaders first encountered the white cliffs of Albion generations ago. Several times they attempted to master the marsh-ridden land and its warlike people, never entirely managing to do so.

When they want to prove themselves, Emperors always look to Albion for triumph and trophies because expeditions to Albion are like mythic quests to Romans. To them, the Celts appear as far removed from civilisation as anything in the imagination.

Still, on paper, they call Albion a Roman province, and exports of strange culinary delicacies plucked with grimy hands from its muddy mires are becoming ever more popular back home—call it a taste of the exotic.

Celts just do everything differently, and while the Romans consider some of them beastly barbarians, they are at the same time fascinated by their craft and ideas, and have no compunctions taking what they need from them, if it works.

As for the Celts, those who come to your cities in Albion in search of shelter may no longer have a tribe or a place to call home. For although the Romans have brought destruction to their door, they also offer peace (a very rare thing in those days), education, warm baths and best of all…wine!

We hope this article also sets your imagination loose and we’re curious: What was your first thought on seeing the announcement of Anno 117: Pax Romana? Which event, theme or even personality was your first association for the Roman Empire and its provinces? We’re looking forward to your comments!

How often do you think about the Roman Empire? Because we... we’re doing it daily!

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We’re proud and excited to announce a new chapter for the Anno franchise:


Take on the role of a Roman governor in the year 117 AD and journey through the uncharted territories of the Roman Empire. Uncover the allure of Latium and Albion, the twin provinces under your stewardship as governor. Seize the opportunity to expand your influence and harness the unique advantages and challenges each province presents.

“We will not only deliver the fantasy millions of strategy players are waiting for: to govern one of the most iconic ancient empires, we will push beyond that, and change how people see the Roman Empire in games. Explore different provinces and embrace the local or Roman way. The cost of peace is yours to decide." – Manuel Reinher, Creative Director

Your choices as a governor matter to your citizens! Will you encourage economic growth and trade or expand your rule through dominance and force? Lead with rebellion or unite a diverse culture? Choose wisely, your decisions will guide your people through the era of Pax Romana.



Anno 117: Pax Romana features a unique mix of traditional city building, a deep economical simulation and 4X features like diplomacy, military and a solid narrative layer. It follows the series’ tradition by merging the creation of huge metropolises with the setup of complex logistic networks and production chains, as well as the exploration of the world and the interaction with other characters and competitors.
Anno 117: Pax Romana is planned to release in 2025 on both PC as well as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

With that, we welcome Anno fans old and new to our journey! Follow along when we – over the coming months until release – will show and tell you more about Anno 117: Pax Romana: its world, its features and your role as a governor!