Anno (video game series)

This article is about the Anno video game series. For other uses, see Anno (disambiguation).

Anno
Developer(s)	Max Design Related Designs Blue Byte Keen Games Kaiko GmbH
Publisher(s)	Sunflowers Interactive Ubisoft Disney Interactive Studios
Creator(s)	Wilfried Reiter
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows Nintendo DS Wii Web browser Android iOS
First release	Anno 1602 24 September 1998
Latest release	Anno 1800 16 April 2019

Anno is a real-time strategy, city building video game series, conceived in 1998 by Max Design. The series focuses on players establishing colonies on a series of small islands, conducting exploration of the region, diplomacy and trade with other civilisations and traders, while managing resources and engaging in combat both on land and sea. Most games in the series take place during Renaissance and Empire-building historical periods of Earth's history, with cultures, architecture and customs based upon real-life elements from these periods, though in-game civilisations tend to be neutral from exact nations. The more recent titles focused upon future periods of Earth's history around possible "what if" scenarios based upon current issues.

Each game in the series is mainly a stand-alone title, featuring the same level of reoccurring gameplay mechanics, though with each installment amending existing gameplay mechanics and adding new features, with expansions packs adding in further content. Initial games mainly focused on two modes of gameplay, with players able to operate in single-player or multiplayer over LAN or online connections, while later titles added in a campaign mode of several missions, each featuring their own unique storyline - plots usually focus on players becoming involved in a major incident while beginning life as the ruler of a small island.

While primarily developed for PC, the series has also included a variety of spin-off titles mainly for handheld consoles, which in turn feature more simplified game mechanics to those of the main series. Each title over the series' history has featured a variety of different developers and publishers, with the most recent entries being currently developed by Blue Byte and published by Ubisoft. Most entries in the series have received favourable reviews from critics over gameplay mechanics. The first title, Anno 1602, was Germany's best-selling computer game of all time as of December 2002, with sales of 2.5 million copies worldwide and 1.7 million in the German market. Its sequel broke its sales-speed record, becoming Germany's fastest full-price computer game to reach 500,000 domestic sales. It ultimately sold over one million units in German-speaking countries, and, when combined with its predecessor, reached 4.5 million sales worldwide by October 2006.

Titles

Main series

Title	Year	Developer	Expansion	Notes
Anno 1602: Creation of a New World	1998	Max Design		released in the U.S. as 1602 A.D.
Anno 1503: The New World	2003	Max Design		released in the U.S. as 1503 A.D.: The New World
Anno 1701	2006	Related Designs	The Sunken Dragon (2007)	also marketed as 1701 A.D.
Anno 1404	2009	Related Designs, Blue Byte	Venice (2010)	released in the U.S. as Dawn of Discovery
Anno 2070	2011	Related Designs, Blue Byte	Deep Ocean (2012)
Anno 2205	2015	Blue Byte
Anno 1800	2019	Blue Byte

Spin-offs

• Anno 1701: Dawn of Discovery (2007)

A video game for the Nintendo DS, and spin-off of the series.

• Anno: Create A New World (2009)

A video game for the Nintendo DS and the Wii, known in North America as Dawn of Discovery.

• Anno Online (2013-2018)

A free-to-play browser game (shut down in January 2018).

• Anno: Build an Empire (2015)

For Android and iOS platforms.

• Anno 2205: Asteroid Miner (2015)

For Android and iOS platforms.

See also

• The Settlers, a similar German real-time strategy and business simulation game
• Unknown Horizons, a game inspired by the Anno series

External links

• Anno Ubisoft website (US)
• Anno Union, Anno development blog
• Anno at MobyGames