Hey Anno Community,

Today, we’re starting recruitment for the upcoming playtest for the “Jubilee Patch” which we have teased a couple of weeks ago.

The “Jubilee Patch” is our upcoming Free Game Update that not only includes a large number of bug fixes and improvements, but also additional quality-of-life additions and new features. We’d love to get your help in testing said update and in providing us with feedback on which aspects could still need some polishing or improving.

The overall goals for the playtest therefore are:

• Test the new features developed for the “Jubilee Patch”
• Test various QoL improvements
• Test the general stability of the update

A large number of bugs have also been fixed already and will be in said playtest version, so, getting feedback from any of you who were affected by these problems will be especially valuable. This includes for example quest bugs like:

• Anarchist Quests
• Barbecue Quest (Skyline Tower, The High Life)
• Inauguration Quest (Iron Tower, Tourist Season)

But also several of the bugs listed on our Trello Board:

• Issues with the Flamethrower Monitor
• AI attacking civilian buildings near the shore
• Wrong checkmark behaviour in cultural buildings

The playtest is planned for February 16 to 19 – and you can sign up today! Just follow this link.*
We’ll be randomly selecting a few hundred players early next week, after which the invites will be sent out. Please be aware that you will have to sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) to participate.

Soon after the conclusion of the playtest, we’re going to share more details on the “Jubilee Patch” with everyone. Stay tuned until then, and don’t forget to sign up for the playtest!

(*the sign-up period has ended)

Hey Anno Community,

With the first month of 2023 already coming to an end, let’s update you on what’s coming in the next weeks!

Game Update 17 & Playtest

Firstly, let’s talk bug fixes and patches.

While we continue working on the Free Game Update we briefly mentioned at the end of last year (currently internally dubbed the “Jubilee Patch”), we’re going to have a playtest for said update in mid-February, both to test the stability of the version as well as to get feedback on the new features we’re implementing.

There are still some issues that we want to iron out, including of course bugs that you have reported like the Anarchist quests, issues with the music or regarding the targeting behaviour of the AI – all of which are planned for the mentioned update.

We’ll have more news on the playtest soon and will follow this up later in February with more details on the “Jubilee Patch” – stay tuned!

Console Edition Reveal – FAQ

Following our reveal of the Anno 1800 Console Edition last week, we’ve seen a few questions pop up multiple times, so, let’s answer some of them today. Next week we’ll have a slightly longer FAQ blog that will then hopefully also answer the remaining ones. As a reminder: Anno 1800 Console Edition releases on March 16th on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Cross-play & Cross-progression

The Anno 1800 Console Edition allows multiplayer matches with a maximum of 16 players, with up to 4 players per team in co-op mode. However, the console version does only support multiplayer between players on the same platform.

Cross-progression between Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 is supported.

DLC content

For Anno 1800 Console Edition, we have decided to focus on the base game experience of Anno 1800 which already provides many hours of content, especially since we’ll be including the Free Game Updates that have been released for the PC version so far. Upon its release, the first 9 Cosmetic DLC will be available for purchase. The recently released “Dragon Garden” Pack as well as the three remaining Cosmetic DLC that are planned to be released in 2023 will become available later this year.

Controls

Our main focus during the development of Anno 1800 Console Edition was to achieve a smooth experience with a controller, for which the UI and controls were redesigned. It will therefore not support mouse and keyboard.

Since the PC version is optimized for mouse and keyboard input and with all the additional DLC released there, we are currently not planning to add controller support to the PC version.

Missed our livestream? – No worries, you can see the console version in action in our recording.

Community Spotlight

Rounding off this Union Update and with the “Dragon Garden” Pack having released one week ago, let’s feature some of the creations you posted using the new ornaments.

Let’s start with this this GIF by L_Q_Nguyen on Twitter, celebrating the Tết Festival: what a lovely composition! It’s great to see how the atmosphere changes between day and night, bringing out the bright colours of the lanterns and the Great Dragons in the centre.

My Tết festival in #Anno1800 pic.twitter.com/1Oqwv5zGyy

— LQ Nguyen (@L_Q_Nguyen) January 22, 2023

If you would like to see some beauty building in action, then we recommend checking out Nivarias video, showcasing the whole Cosmetic DLC pack. Such a nice and peaceful idea to build a beautiful district to celebrate the Lunar New Year next to the river!

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Pyronite shared a dreamy screenshot on the Annoverse Discord. The contrast between the dark skyline and the Dragon Garden ornaments creates an amazing atmosphere for the perfect night shot. Bravo!

We love to see combinations between ornaments from different Cosmetic DLC, and PeterMaywald shared a great example of these combos on Twitter. The lovely Ceiba tree from the “Plant a Tree” CDLC and the Hildegarden from the “Old Town” Pack CDLC blend perfectly together with the “Dragon Garden” Pack CDLC!

Hey Anno Community,

Happy New Year! We hope you had a great time over the holidays and started well into 2023.

Let’s take a look at what’s planned for the coming weeks in the world of Anno 1800:

Upcoming Game Update 16.1

Firstly, we’re currently in the validation phase for Game Update 16.1, a patch that will address several of the issues you reported to us following Game Update 16 and DLC 12. For example, the duplication of item effects when using the multi-move feature, several text issues for the Stadium and the problem that the game was not starting under certain circumstances.

The Game Update is planned for January 19th, we’ll have the full Release Notes for you closer to that date.

Celebrate Lunar New Year in style

Talking about January 19th: On the same day, we’re going to release the “Dragon Garden” Pack Cosmetic DLC.  Celebrate the New Lunar Year with the Dragon Garden Pack and create stunning lucky-dragon-themed districts in your empire with new ornaments. More details and screenshots on Thursday in a dedicated blog.

Revealing Anno 1800 Console Edition

Before these releases, however, there’s one more big event: On the 17th at 5PM UTC+1 we will reveal the Anno 1800 Console Edition in a live stream on twitch.tv/ubisoft

We’re excited to show you what we’ve been working on and how you will soon be able to experience Anno 1800 on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. Mark the day, we’ll see you there!

“Cultural Boom” Community Challenge

Last but not least: The DLC 12 Community Challenge!

As we already said before the holidays, you smashed the goal of settling 81 million Artistas with ease. In fact, in the two weeks the challenge was running, you achieved three times that: a total of 242 million! Incredible, your New World cities must be very crowded by now and we hope you built some parks for them to relax.

With Game Update 16.1 next week, we’ll add two rewards to the game for everyone: Two new company logos themed after DLC 12 (orchid and bird) and two new player colours (Bordeaux Red and Orange).

Hey Anno Community,

We’re super close to the holidays and the end of the year, time for one last blog post here on the Anno Union.

This year’s focus was very much on the New World region, with “Seeds of Change”, “Empire of the Skies” and “New World Rising” all adding new options and possibilities for the New World – with DLC 12 even expanding the region further and adding Manola, a large continental-style island.

That said, we have also seen many happy comments (and screenshots!) in regard to the “Old Town” Pack Cosmetic DLC and admired all the little castles you built. We are not only happy that the Cosmetic DLC continue to be so well-received, but are also amazed by seeing what you create with all these options in the game now!

In addition to our livestreams (as usual with a very wholesome chat), 2022 marked the first time since 2019 that we could bring Anno to a large physical event again! Gamescom 2022 was a great experience for us, and we loved meeting some of you there.

And while we love seeing the comments, screenshots and videos you posted about “New World Rising” and the things you discovered in the DLC, we’re aware that some of you are still encountering issues with starting the game, even after the hotfix from Friday last week. For our investigation, it would be great if you could get in touch with Customer Support and provide your DxDiag file as well as your Ubisoft Connect launcher log. 

There are also several other bug reports we’re investigating following the release of DLC 12, like missing translations for certain menus or a problem with item effect duplication. We’ll keep you updated on the most notable problems via our Known Issues Board.

Therefore, looking into 2023, our first focus in January is ironing out those issues with a patch. As we communicated in early December, we’re also working on a larger Game Update for Spring and will have more news on it and its contents early next year.

Additionally, expect news on the Anno 1800 console version next year, too!

As some of you have already asked, we’re as usual sharing this year’s artworks as wallpapers with you. You can download the whole bundle here. Enjoy artworks from “Seeds of Change” over the “Industrial Zone” Pack to “New World Rising”! 

We’re wishing you Happy Holidays and a great start into the New Year.
See you in January!
The Anno Team

Hey Anno Community,

It has been a week since the release of “New World Rising” and we hope your New World is thriving with happy Artistas! We thought it was the perfect moment to stop and have a look at the awesome content you have been sharing with us, as well as giving you an update on what has been going on in the past few days.

Issues with Anno 1800 not starting after Game Update 16

While we are extremely happy to see so many of you experiencing cultural boom in the New World and building amazing Medieval citadels with our latest DLC and CDLC, we are also aware that some of you are currently facing issues with the game not launching since Game Update 16. As stated in this forum thread, we think we have found a fix for the problem and are currently in validation. We should be able to tell you a timeline for the fix tomorrow. We recommend following our forum thread to stay up to date with the latest news, as we will update it as soon as we have more information.

Once again, we apologise for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.

“New World Rising” Twitch Drops

One last reminder for our current Twitch Drops campaign, as you still have 3 days to grab two fancy new ornaments dedicated to “New World Rising”! All you need to do is grab a snack and a cup of coffee (or tea if you prefer) and watch your favourite Anno livestream for 2 hours.

Community Challenge – Cultural Boom

We are halfway through the “Cultural Boom” Community Challenge. First of all, wow! There is still a week to go, but you already passed it with over 107 million Artistas! You have done an excellent job in welcoming new residents to your New World islands, so we decided to add something else as a reward: two new profile colours – congratulations, Annoholics!

And now we wonder – will you get to 200 million by the end of the Challenge and show off your outstanding city-building skills?

Community Spotlight

With the release of “New World Rising” and the “Old Town” Pack CDLC at the same time, we decided to dedicate today’s Community Spotlight to these two themes and the wonderful screenshots you have shared so far.

We start with Maulwurf_Viking2371, who shared this amazing screenshot on the Annoverse Discord: this seems like the perfect location for a small Medieval town, plus the idea of building it next to the fortress makes it even more special. Great shot!

When it comes to beauty building in Anno 1800, Aestris never disappoints. Aestris has been sharing a lot of screenshots portraying life on Manola – it was difficult for us to choose only one screenshot, as every one of them looked stunning! Therefore, we decided to go for an overview of Manola. Mixing the ornaments from different packs, including the “Old Town” Pack is a great way to spice things up.

We love screenshots that tell us a story in some way, and we thought that this collection of screenshots by Hippimichi on Reddit does exactly that. We chose to highlight a close-up of the old town and the merchant, while you can also see a parade about to enter the old town walls, but we recommend checking out the whole collection on Reddit!

Artistas bring wonderful colours to the New World, and One_King_4900 has captured this splash of colours by night. We love the contrast of the quiet darkness surrounding the bright and colourful Artistas residences, enhanced by those faint streetlights. What a lovely combination!