Joystiq

Ubisoft fully acquires Anno developer

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:30:00 EST

Ubisoft has fully purchased German developer Related Designs, best known for creating the Anno strategy series (Americans may remember Anno 1404 as Dawn of Discovery). The French publisher previously held a 30 percent share in the company, but bought the other 70 percent in an undisclosed cash transaction.

"Bringing the talented teams from Related Designs into the fold at Ubisoft is a mutually beneficial evolution of the relationship that we've had with this great studio for the past six years," said Odile Limpach, managing director at Ubisoft's Blue Byte studio (also in Germany). Ubisoft's Blue Byte (The Settlers) was handling publishing duties on the Anno series since Anno 1404 in 2009 C.E.

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Ubisoft fully acquires Anno developer originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anno 2070 Domination Mode mapped out by developers

Jessica Conditt — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 23:59:00 EST

Anno 2070's new multiplayer mode, Domination, allows two teams of five to fight for control of various points. Watch how it's done in the video above. Also, check out the size of that mic!

Anno 2070 Domination Mode mapped out by developers originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dive into Anno 2070's 'Deep Ocean' this October

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 02:00:00 EST

Anno 2070's under the sea expansion pack "Deep Ocean" will be available October 4 for $29.99.

Announced earlier this year, the downloadable add-on will allow for a underwater geothermal plant, a new Tech Monument and a new population class of "Genius" for the Tech faction. Deep Ocean also includes over 150 new quests, along with co-op features.

Did our "under the sea" get you humming The Little Mermaid this time?

Gallery: Anno 2070: Deep Ocean

Continue reading Dive into Anno 2070's 'Deep Ocean' this October

Dive into Anno 2070's 'Deep Ocean' this October originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anno 2070 dives deep to extract expansion this fall

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST

Anno 2070 will go under the sea this autumn with the "Deep Ocean" expansion. The pack will allow for an underwater geothermal plant, a "hostile takeover" without the use of military, a new population class of "Genius" for the Tech faction and several other additions.

The futurisitic update of the commerce and ecological strategy simulation has been receiving generally positive reviews since its launch late last year. It's too bad then that news about the game has circled around complications from Ubisoft's DRM.

Also, let us know if that carefully placed "under the sea" earlier triggered a brain hack forcing you to start humming the song from The Little Mermaid.

Gallery: Anno 2070: Deep Ocean

Continue reading Anno 2070 dives deep to extract expansion this fall

Anno 2070 dives deep to extract expansion this fall originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anno 2070 DRM grudgingly altered as little as possible

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST

It's hard to watch Ubisoft's abusive relationship with PC gamers, but here's another example of the publisher delivering a box of chocolates to the hospital room. Economics and ecology simulator Anno 2070 has some pretty strict DRM, allowing only three installs per copy, which is restrictive but not unusual for the publisher. The crazy part occurred when Guru3D discovered that changing graphics cards on the PC counted as an installation.

The situation hit DEFCON "facepalm" when Rock Paper Shotgun followed up with the publisher to ask if the bug would be fixed, to which Ubisoft responded that the DRM was working as intended. The publisher continued, "On the rare occasion when a customer does need additional activations, Ubisoft customer service is available to quickly resolve the situation, and we encourage those customers to contact us directly so that we can ensure they are able to continue to enjoy their game."

Anno 2070 developer BlueByte has since gotten in contact with Guru3D to say it has removed the graphics hardware from "the hash used to identify the PC." Customers who legally purchased the game can now switch graphics cards as many times as they want, putting them in parity with those who pirated the game.

Anno 2070 DRM grudgingly altered as little as possible originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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See the pretty, sterile Anno 2070 debut teaser trailer

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:00:00 EST

Anno 2070's first trailer feels so much like a pharmaceutical commercial that we keep waiting for the voice-over to tell us the side effects of playing the game. You know, beyond: sense of lost time.

Continue reading See the pretty, sterile Anno 2070 debut teaser trailer

See the pretty, sterile Anno 2070 debut teaser trailer originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ubisoft puts Anno 2070 on its calendar for anno 2011

Randy Nelson — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:30:00 EST

Having released Dawn of Discovery in 2009, German developer Related Designs is producing a follow-up to its city building / strategy game which shifts the timeline several centuries forward. Co-developed by The Settlers studio Blue Byte, Anno 2070 is due out on PC this year, promising some twists on the core mechanics of its predecessors as the result of its near-future setting.

Ubisoft says that the results of global climate change depicted in-game will require players to take advantage of "architectural breakthroughs" in order to grow their nations. By setting the title in the future, "the development team wasn't restricted by historical boundaries and was able to dream bigger than ever before."

You'd think eco-disasters would have put the kibosh on industrialization, but in fact, players will get to side with either the "pave the planet" Tycoons or the "the greener the better" Ecos from the outset. A third faction, one that can't be bothered to separate the recycling or install compact fluorescent light bulbs, was deemed too apathetic to make the cut.

Gallery: Anno 2070

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Ubisoft puts Anno 2070 on its calendar for anno 2011 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anno coming to US on Wii and DS as Dawn of Discovery

JC Fletcher — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:15:00 EST

Ubisoft is bringing the Anno series of historical strategy games to Wii and DS in North America under the title Dawn of Discovery this summer. It's also coming to PC -- but another strategy game on PC isn't really that big a deal.

Dawn of Discovery features city-building gameplay in a simulated 1404 AD. According to the game's premise, King George's sons William and Edward are sent out to settle new territories in order to gather resources for a drought-ridden homeland. As you build your society, you will gain access to new developments from neighboring cultures through developing trade routes around the world.

The Wii version, which marks the first Wii release for the series, even features 2-player cooperative play. All three versions are due out this summer.

Gallery: Dawn of Discovery (Wii)

Gallery: Dawn of Discovery (DS)

Anno coming to US on Wii and DS as Dawn of Discovery originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You don't know what you're missing: Ubisoft delays 'unannounced franchise' (Anno, too)

James Ransom-Wiley — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:54:00 EST

Filed under: Business

Reporting its sales for the fiscal half-year today, Ubisoft also announced two software delays. "In view of the good first-half trends and the positive outlook for the third quarter, Ubisoft has decided that Anno as well as the as-yet unannounced franchise which were previously scheduled to be released in 2008-09 will now bolster the line-up for 2009-10," reads a release schedule update from the report. To be clear, Anno and "Unannounced Franchise" are likely two unrelated projects -- the former a strategy game set in 1404 and the latter, well, that's anyone's guess.

The vague articulation of the mystery delay leaves the details open to speculation. Is this a new franchise? Or a new entry in an existing franchise? We'll update when we've got clarification.

You don't know what you're missing: Ubisoft delays 'unannounced franchise' (Anno, too) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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