Anno Video Game Series

In 2013, German studio Blue Byte prepared a browser-based spin-off of the series titled Anno Online, which ran until January 31, 2018. In 2014, through a small Mi'pu'mi studio founded by former Rockstar Games employees, and with the support of Blue Byte Software, another side-scrolling part of the series appeared, titled Anno: Build an Empire; the game was intended for iOS, although in 2015 it was ported to Android as well.

In 2015, the sixth full-fledged installment of the series, titled Anno 2205. Although initially its action was to be set in the Middle Ages, the developers at Blue Byte decided to move the player to the future, making it a sequel of sorts to Anno 2070. In 2019, the game set in the time of the Industrial Revolution hit the PC. Anno 1800, which lived to see numerous expansions, and almost four years later also appeared on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.. The year 2020 brought the release of the compilation Anno History Collection, containing refreshed versions of the first four installments of the series. In 2024, meanwhile, we lived to see the announcement of the eighth main installment of the series, namely. Anno 117: Pax Romana, transporting players to ancient Rome.

Gameplay in games of the Anno series

Gameplay in productions under the banner of Anno is mainly focused on the economic and social aspect.. During the game the main goal of the player is to build a rich city on an inhospitable terrain. This requires, first of all, the creation of efficient production chains, capable of satisfying the needs of settlers. There is also no shortage of challenges related to trade, diplomacy or military operations.

In the vast majority of games in the series, the historical background is related to the expansion of Western European civilization. The exceptions are Anno 2070 i Anno 2205, the action of which was set in the future. This treatment somewhat refreshed the series - this could be seen, for example, in the changed raw material system, as some of the previously available ones were removed and replaced with new ones. In addition to this Anno 2070 was the first part of the series, in which the player had the opportunity to direct three different, but not hostile factions - Echoes, Tech and Tycoons. Each of them was oriented towards a different path of development of the empire created by the player.

Most installments of the series Anno offers several modes of entertainment - single player and multiplayer (whether cooperative or competitive).

Graphics in the games of the Anno series

Initially, the games in the series Anno had fairly simple, though aesthetically pleasing 2D graphics with an isometric view. With the release of Anno 1701 there was a radical change in the visual layer and a move to a 3D graphical environment. At the time of its release, a kind of crowning achievement of the authors' efforts to improve the quality of graphics was Anno 1800, which even allowed to observe individual production processes (thanks to camera close-ups).

Naming of games in the Anno series

One of the biggest curiosities related to the games of the series Anno is their numbering. This is because the sum of the digits in the titles of these productions is always 9, which has become a hallmark of the series.

Although officially the reasons for this are unknown, it may have something to do with numerology, as in many cultures "nine" is considered a lucky digit. In addition, people who are numerological "nines" are supposed to be characterized by, among other things, altruism, idealism or humanitarianism, qualities that are very necessary for building resilient communities from the ground up; these may correspond with the spirit of settlement, and therefore the themes explored in the series.