The Future Exposed: Anno 117: The Dawn of Pax Romana and the Jump Into Ancient Rome

A three-sentence announcement that has strategic gamers, history nerds, and enthusiasts everywhere salivating. Ubisoft has revealed that it’s going to take its longstanding city-builder franchise Anno back in time when it releases Anno 117: Pax Romana in 2025. Set to launch simultaneously for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, it promises to take everything that made the Anno series a favourite among strategy gamers and city-building aficionado, and bring it to the dramatic setting of Ancient Rome. And that part? Well, it’s more than exciting potential. It’s what Ubisoft is banking on. And for good reason. The Ancient Roman Empire is a grand and expertly attuned setting for any game seeking to balance the input of the amateur city planner with that of the aspiring governor.

THE TEASE THAT BUILT AN EMPIRE: ANNO 117’S FIRST GLIMPSE

Although Ubisoft isn’t sharing details of gameplay, a brief trailer has established parameters for what players can anticipate in Anno 117: Pax Romana. The Town Crier, announcer of a new golden age of prosperity, and sender forth of the new Governor – you – nods to Field of Dreams: ‘If you build it, they will come.’ The message is one that underpins the Anno series – build, then link, thriving communities.

CARVING OUT YOUR PROVINCE: CHOICES THAT CONNECT AN EMPIRE

For the first time in Anno’s history, players are aloud to choose exactly which province will be their starting point, and what geographical challenges they will have to face when setting out on their newest Roman adventure. The choices that were released — the Celtic Wetlands of Albion and the Roman heartlands of Latium — have wildly different topographies, consequently presenting different challenges and opportunities to those who would forge a path to the very heart of the Empire. The decision not only has a significant impact on your starting strategy in the game, but illustrates one of the many ways Ubisoquitous intends to diversify their gaming landscape. Their player is tasked with uniting these provinces under one banner and, as they go through the process of ruling the gubernatorial pathway to Pax Romana, they’ll weave a complex tapestry of strategy and diplomacy.

AN EPOCH OF PEACE: THE CREATIVE CHALLENGE

I talked to Heike “LOLA JIN” Unseld, the creative director of Anno’s studio, and Haye “Luke” Anderson, the brand director, about the vision for Anno 117: it seemed the team were aiming to tell the player the story of ‘how it was to govern the Roman provinces in a time of unparalleled peace’ – one that spanned some three centuries of incredible expansion, after the end of the republic and throughout most of the empire, over three continents and some one-third of the world’s population at the time. The idea of how to hold such a large-scale empire in check, even at a simulated, thoughtful level, is a huge narrative undertaking, and it’s a tone that should befit the fanbase for this more mature Anno.

ACCESSIBILITY MEETS COMPLEXITY: A GAME FOR ALL GOVERNORS

Anno 117: Pax Romana is not meant to be what we now refer to as a ‘beats’. Nor is it a historical recreation, a time capsule, in the vein of Sid Meier’s Civilization VI (2016), even if it will most certainly have its historical grounding. The intention is to offer players a ‘progressive onboarding’, idea to – as we gamers like to call it – ‘endgame’. Ubisoft was aware that some players found Anno 1800 overwhelming, and central to its design is what we might call modular gameplay – players will still be able to tailor their own experience. Regardless of whether you are a strategist by nature, or you just want to try your hand at Roman administration, Anno 117 will be aimed at offering you a comprehensive, popular experience whilst not dumbing down its famed complexity.

A NEW DAWN FOR ANNO: COMMUNITY AND INNOVATION AT ITS CORE

Other fans of the series equally await the development of Anno 117: Pax Romana, which Ubisoft calls a ‘co-production’ between itself and the fans. It’s a responsibility to ‘shy away from disappointing expectations that have been so high from the start of the franchise until now’, as Haye Anderson puts it. Before its 2025 launch, Ubisoft plans to deliver additional social and interactive content – but in reality it’s building a community, ‘nurturing the Anno brand with each new game release, a community that grows bigger and more vibrant with each day’.

CONNECTING THROUGH ANNO 117: PAX ROMANA

At its heart, Anno 117: Pax Romana is about connection. It is about connecting our present to our past. It is about connecting the classic experience of games like Civilization with modern innovations. It is about connecting provinces under one empire. And, perhaps most importantly, we want it to connect and unite the players of this engaging, historical, story-filled strategy game across the globe, to build an empire that spans all continents, all cultures, and all people. We can’t wait to see you expand and thrive through the landmarks and challenges of the Ancient Roman Empire. Anno 117: Pax Romana will soon be available and inviting both new and experienced governors to build an empire that lasts through the ages.

ABOUT CONNECT

Connect is more than just a keyword here – it emphasises the joining of disparate parts, whether that’s provinces in the game, the player experience, or people in the Anno community. ‘Connect’ is another way of articulating Ubisoft’s promise to Anno 117: Pax Romana players and prospective players: that it will be more involved in their game, be more interconnected with the rest of the Anno world, and more intertwined with their lives off the computer. Anno 117: Pax Romana isn’t a mere title in the Anno series – it’s part of the ideology of connection in strategy gaming.