The Settlers Video Game Series
A popular series of real-time strategy games (RTS), created and developed by the Blue Byte studio (which in time passed into the hands of Ubisoft and changed its name to Ubisoft Blue Byte, and then lived to see a rebranding, as a result of which the three teams that made it up were given their own identities: Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Ubisoft Mainz and Ubisoft Berlin). The publisher and owner of the rights to the brand is Ubisoft Group.
Roots of the series The Settlers date back to the first half of the 1990s and the 1993-released game The Settlers (in the US market known as Serf City: Life is Feudal). The production, originally released only for Amiga computers, was something completely new in the strategy genre, but only the second installment of the series - The Settlers II: Veni, Vidi, Vidi - won the hearts of players. The Settlers II: Veni, Vidi, Vici, considered by many to be the best in the brand's history. Thanks to the efforts of the developers from the Blue Byte studio, subsequent parts of the series were released at 2-3 year intervals. With the release of The Settlers: Heritage of Kings (Legacy of Kings), the fifth game in the series, the publisher abandoned the use of official numbering (it returned for a while in 2010 with The Settlers 7: Road to the Kingdom). In 2006, a remake of the second part saw the light of day, The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary, released to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the series. In turn, in 2009, a mobile, simplified version of The Settlers IV, titled simply The Settlers. In 2010, a free, browser-based game was made available The Settlers Online, which in 2012 lived to see a boxed version released in Poland . A new chapter in the history of the brand was to open with the omnibus release of The Settlers History Collection (2018), containing the seven main parts of the series along with all the expansions. It was to prepare players for the reboot of the series, which was released in 2023 The Settlers: New Allies. The production was based on the Snowdrop Engine, used, among others, in the series Tom Clancy's The Division, which gave it a significant graphical advance over its predecessors. Unfortunately, at the same time it was one of the most poorly received parts of the series, as evidenced by the average rating of 59/100 (according to Metacritic).
Cycle The Settlers is sometimes ranked among the top of the most popular real-time strategies, but in some respects the gameplay assumptions differ significantly from the genre convention. In most cases, the player takes on the role of a "causal force" taking care of a selected nation, and his task is to direct its development and defeat its competitors. A characteristic feature of games from under this banner is the autonomy of individuals; settlers most often know themselves what to do and can only be encouraged to take certain actions. Changes in this area were attempted by the fifth part of the series, but were met with a negative reaction from fans. The key to victory in the series The Settlers in general is the proper placement of buildings and planning the road network, which allows to increase the efficiency of the economy. Depending on the production, the story campaigns in The Settlers we can go through alone or in cooperative mode (on a split screen or over the Internet). Complementing the main pillar of gameplay are side missions and PvP skirmishes.
One of the distinguishing features of the series is the unconventional graphic design, maintained in a brightly colored, cartoonish style. Attention is also drawn to the interesting combination of historical and fairy-tale elements that make up the virtual world. The series is very popular - over a dozen years since the release of its first part, a total of more than 10 million copies of all installments of the series have been sold.
The Settlers Series Evolution
2023
The Settlers: New Allies
2018
The Settlers History Collection
2010
The Settlers Online
2010
The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom
2009
The Settlers (2009)
2008
The Settlers: Traditions Edition
2007
The Settlers: Rise of an Empire
2006
The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary
2005
The Settlers: Heritage of Kings
2001
The Settlers IV
1998
The Settlers III
1996
The Settlers II
1993
The Settlers (1993)
The Settlers: New Allies
Strategy
February 17, 2023
The eighth entry in the series of economic strategy games, in which the players assume control of the titular settlers. The Settlers combines solutions from previous entries in the series with completely new gameplay mechanics.
The Settlers History Collection
Strategy
November 15, 2018
A set of seven installments of The Settlers series, additionally enriched with all the expansions and adapted to work on modern computers, as well as expanded with some new functions. In The Settlers History Collection, players take control of a group of settlers and our goal is to develop the village.
The Settlers Online
Strategy
November 17, 2010
A browser version of one of the most popular economic strategies, which dates back to the first half of the 90s. The original creators of the series from the German Blue Byte studio are responsible for the creation of the game, and the gameplay mechanics refers to the first installments of the series. The players' task is to systematically develop their own kingdom by erecting new buildings and providing our inhabitants with a constant supply of necessary resources.
The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom
Strategy
March 23, 2010
The seventh installment in one of the most popular economy simulation strategy game series invariably developed by Blue Byte Software since 1993. The latest entry in the franchise combines well-proven gameplay mechanics with a number of completely new solutions. The story campaign offers a relatively large amount of freedom, allowing the players to choose their own path to success. Regardless of whether we focus on the military, trade, or technological aspect of our domain, the ultimate goal, in accordance with the general idea of the series, is to create an efficiently functioning economy. Victory is decided by the victory points that are gained by meeting certain requirements. The game offers a slightly altered system of settlement development, which divides buildings into primary and secondary structures that are built around existing master buildings. The Settlers 7 possesses entirely new fully 3D graphics with smooth camera zoom and rotation. In accordance with the latest trends, the game was also enriched with numerous social features.
- The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom - DLC 3 December 7, 2010
The Settlers (2009)
Strategy
November 6, 2009
Mobile edition of one of the most popular series of economic strategies, launched in 1993 by the German studio Blue Byte. The mobile game is a simplified version of the computer-based fourth installment of the cycle and offers four separate campaigns where we can lead the Romans, the Vikings, the Maya and the mysterious Dark Tribe.
The Settlers: Traditions Edition
Strategy
August 28, 2008
Spin-off of the cult economic-strategy saga, referring to the earlier installments of the series and using slightly modified mechanics of the second game refreshed in 2006. For the first time in the history of the series, the original creators of the brand, Blue Byte, are not responsible for the creation of the title, but the Funatics studio team, known i.a. from the twin series Cultures.
The Settlers: Rise of an Empire
Strategy
September 25, 2007
The sixth major installment in the highly popular series of economical strategies started in 1993 by Blue Byte. After the very innovative fifth installment, the developers decided to go back to the good old solutions and only improve them with some new features. The general premise of the game hasn’t changed - the player is still tasked with controlling a small village and transforming it into a modern, well-fortified metropolis. The key to success is creating an efficient production chain that will guarantee a steady flow of resources, food etc. It is also required to create a strong army that will provide protection from potential invaders. Among the new features there are new characters whose special abilities provide bonuses during the game. It is worth noting that there are no geologists anymore and the player no longer needs to create paths – now they are generated automatically.
- The Settlers: Rise of an Empire - The Eastern Realm March 27, 2008
The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary
Strategy
September 7, 2006
The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary is a modern remake of the most popular installment of the cult strategy series The Settlers, released as the celebration of the game's tenth anniversary. Developers from Blue Byte studio created a new 10 mission campaign where we lead Romans who seek new lands in order to restore the fallen Empire. Our job is to systematically develop our country by building more and more outhouses and residential and military buildings that will provide us with resources, food, and soldiers. The game also offers a multiplayer mode for up to six players. The remastered version of The Settlers II uses the same engine as the fifth game in the series, though the developers managed to keep the fairy tale-like atmosphere of the original game. Models of all buildings and settlers are based on their original design. In order to enrich the game, some new features were introduced.
- The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary - The Vikings February 22, 2007
The Settlers: Heritage of Kings
Strategy
February 8, 2005
The Settlers: Heritage of Kings is another entry in the popular saga of unusual strategy economic games that started in 1994. Contrary to the previous entries in the series, the new episode features detailed, fully three-dimensional graphics.
- The Settlers: Heritage of Kings - Nebula Realm March 22, 2005
- The Settlers: Heritage of Kings - Legends September 1, 2005
The Settlers IV
Strategy
February 16, 2001
The fourth part of the saga with small settlers. This time, three races are available to choose from: Romans, Vikings, Mayas. In the game we will also meet representatives of the so-called "Dark Race".
- The Settlers IV Mission Pack July 23, 2001
- The Settlers IV: The Trojans and the Elixir of Power October 11, 2001
- The Settlers IV: The New World November 28, 2002
The Settlers III
Strategy
October 13, 1998
Third installment of The Settlers series produced and released by Blue Byte Software. The game, although it belongs to the real time strategy (RTS) genre, is characterized by a very complex economic aspect.
- The Settlers III: Quest of the Amazons October 27, 1999
The Settlers II
Strategy
February 15, 1996
The Settlers II is the second installment of a series considered to be a real time strategy (RTS) classics. The player directs the actions of a group of settlers who are trying to build a colony on the newly discovered land. Developers from Blue Byte Software studio have prepared a captivating one-person mode campaign consisting of 10 missions and a fully functional, network multiplayer.
The Settlers (1993)
Strategy
March 22, 1993
The Settlers is the first installment of an extremely popular series of real-time strategy games that takes us to a medieval kingdom torn apart by war between conflicting barons.
The Settlers Series News
The Settlers: New Allies Heads to Steam. Year After Its Release, Only a Few Seem to Remember This Strategy
The latest installment of the legendary series The Settlers, subtitled New Allies, is coming soon on Steam. However, the game, more than a year after its release, isn't very popular - even among fans of The Settlers.
video games
Marcin Przała
March 11, 2024
The Settlers: New Allies Without Reviews; The Few Players Very Disappointed
The Settlers: New Allies recorded a poor debut. Players complain about the heavily simplified gameplay and the game's poor technical condition. Moreover, it seems that not many people play the title at all.
video games
Adrian Werner
February 19, 2023
Where to Buy The Settlers New Allies; Is It on Steam?
The Settlers: New Allies has made its debut on PC. In this guide, you'll learn where to buy the game and whether it's available on Steam.
video games
Adam Adamczyk
February 17, 2023
The Settlers: New Allies Launches - Game Fogotten Even by Ubisoft
Today marks the release of the strategy game The Settlers: New Allies. We've been waiting five years for the project, and Ubisoft doesn't seem particularly interested in advertising it.
video games
Adrian Werner
February 17, 2023
Ubisoft Wakes Up and Reminds of New The Settlers Before Release
After a long silence, Ubisoft has released a last-minute trailer for The Settlers: New Allies. The release of the long-awaited eighth installment of The Settlers will take place today.
video games
Hubert Sledziewski
February 17, 2023
The Settlers: New Allies System Requirements
Blue Byte and Ubisoft have finally released the system requirements for The Settlers: New Allies.
video games
Adrian Werner
January 8, 2023
The Settlers: New Allies Release Date; Gameplay Shows Changes
After a delay of more than six months, Ubisoft finally has revealed new information on the return of The Settlers, including a release date for The Settlers: New Allies.
video games
Jacob Blazewicz
November 29, 2022
The Settlers Delayed Once Again; Release Date Unknown
The Settlers suffers another delay. Ubisoft's game was supposed to debut on March 17. The new release date is unknown.
video games
Hubert Sledziewski
March 3, 2022
The Settlers with a Release Date
We've just learned the release date of the new part of The Settlers series. Fortunately, we won't have to wait too long for it.
video games
Michael Zegar
January 13, 2022
Official Presentation of The Settlers is Approching
Next month Ubisoft will show The Settlers, the repeatedly delayed latest installment of the series under the same name. Most likely the game will be very different from the previously revealed version.
video games
Adrian Werner
December 17, 2021