Anno 117: Pax Romana | |
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Developer(s) | Ubisoft Mainz |
Publisher(s) | Ubisoft |
Series | Anno |
Platform(s) | |
Release | 2025 |
Genre(s) | City-building, real-time strategy |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Anno 117: Pax Romana is an upcoming city-building real-time strategy video game developed by Ubisoft Mainz and to be published by Ubisoft. It is the eighth installment in the Anno series and features strategic city-building gameplay in Ancient Rome, the earliest historical setting in the franchise. For the first time, players can choose between starting provinces: ruling either the Roman Empire in Latium or the Celtic kingdom in Albion, to spread Roman or Celtic cultural influence. Players assume the role of a governor, choosing between paths of loyalty or rebellion, focusing on power or economic growth.
Ubisoft officially announced the game in June 2024. It is scheduled for release in 2025 on Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Anno 117: Pax Romana is developed by Ubisoft Mainz and to be published by Ubisoft. [1] Announced in June 2024, the game is set to be released on Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S in 2025. [2] [3] It is the eighth installment in the Anno series and follows known strategic city-building elements. [4] The development of the game has been subsidized by the German Federal Ministry of Economics with €5.7 million since summer 2023. [1]
The game will feature the earliest historical setting in the franchise to date, transporting players to the era of Ancient Rome. [5] [6] For the first time in the series, players can choose between different starting provinces, ruling either the Roman Empire in Latium or the Celtic kingdom in Albion, spreading the cultural influence of the Romans or the Celts accordingly. [5] [7] The player will take on the role of a Governor to develop an empire and shape its future, deciding whether to achieve success through power or economic growth. [8] [9] The game offers two paths in terms of the role, either as loyalist or rebel. [10] The developers also plan to focus more on diplomacy than in previous games. [11] Its subtitle, Pax Romana, refers to a nearly 200-year period of relative peace and stability throughout the Roman Empire. The era featured a thriving economy, vast trade networks, and significant cultural and architectural achievements, many of which are still visible in Central Europe today, over 2,000 years later. This period offers a perfect setting for a game centered on trade and city-building, allowing players to step into the role of a praetor, or governor, of their chosen Roman province. [4] [12]
In an interview with IGN , creative director Manuel Reinher stated that the team is focused on improving the starting experience for new players while maintaining the game's complexity. They plan to make the game more modular, allowing new players to choose and explore specific provinces with more context and story. Core players can still enjoy managing multiple lands and engaging in trade, as the game will be more adaptable and user-friendly. The team is committed to keeping the brand's legacy while introducing new features. The focus on fresh ideas and more social content is seen as a new way to meet player expectations. They are rebranding to expand the community and strengthen the partnership between players and developers for the best experience. [13]
The game was revealed during the Ubisoft Forward showcase in June 2024. [5] [14] A live-action teaser trailer was released to accompany the announcement. It features a public herald reciting Roman scripture to an empty field of sheep, which compensated for the lack of gameplay footage. [5] [15] The herald appeared in a second promotional video featuring 117 social media comments from people who had long wished for the Roman Empire to be the setting for the new Anno game. [16] [17] Several artworks were released, which, according to the developers, contain some hints about the game's content. [18] A screenshot has been leaked after being accidentally uploaded to the official Anno site and quickly removed. The leaked image showed a large coastal settlement divided into several areas. [19]
In July 2024, Ubisoft Mainz held a contest via Anno Union in which anyone was able to design an ornament for Anno 117. A template was provided for the contest that fans could use to get creative. The silhouette of a statue needed to be completed and sent to Ubisoft. [20] At Gamescom 2024, Ubisoft shared new details about Anno 117. The game is set to introduce significant changes to established mechanics, especially through the concept of Romanization versus Celtic traditions. Players can choose cultural paths that influence city development, production chains, and population progression. [21]
Year 167 (CLXVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Quadratus. The denomination 167 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.
The Pax Romana is a roughly 200+-year-long period of Roman history which is identified as a golden age of increased and sustained Roman imperialism, relative peace and order, prosperous stability, hegemonic power, and regional expansion. This is despite several revolts and wars, and continuing competition with Parthia. It is traditionally dated as commencing with the accession of Augustus, founder of the Roman principate, in 27 BC and concluding in AD 180 with the death of Marcus Aurelius, the last of the "Five Good Emperors".
Pax Americana, also called the "Long Peace", is a term applied to the concept of relative peace in the Western Hemisphere and later in the world after the end of World War II in 1945, when the United States became the world's dominant economic, cultural, and military power.
Adrian Keith Goldsworthy is a British historian and novelist who specialises in ancient Roman history.
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The Antonine Plague of AD 165 to 180, also known as the Plague of Galen, was a prolonged and destructive epidemic, which impacted the Roman Empire. It was possibly contracted and spread by soldiers who were returning from campaign in the Near East. Scholars generally believed the plague was smallpox, due to the skin eruptions over the entirety of the body which appeared to be red and black (Horgan), although measles has also been suggested, and recent genetic evidence strongly suggests that the most severe form of smallpox arose in Europe much later. As yet, there is no genetic evidence from the Antonine plague.
Pax, more commonly known in English as Peace, was the Roman goddess of peace derived and adopted from the ancient Greek equivalent Eirene. Pax was seen as the daughter of the Roman king god Jupiter and the goddess Justice. Worship of Peace was organized and made popular during the rule of the emperor Augustus who used her imagery to help stabilise the empire after the years of turmoil and civil war of the late republic. Augustus commissioned an altar of peace in her honour on the Campus Martius called Ara Pacis, and the emperor Vespasian built a temple for her on called the Templum Pacis. Pax had a festival held for her on January 30. In art she is commonly depicted holding out olive branches as a peace offering, as well as a caduceus, cornucopia, corn and a sceptre. Pax is also often associated with spring.
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