A new installment in the real-time strategy series Anno has been announced, and it's set to add yet another game to 2025's busy schedule.
Anno 117: Pax Romana was announced during today's Ubisoft Forward live stream, along with the confirmation that it'll be releasing on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S at some point next year. We've not been shown any gameplay for it yet, but rather just a live-action teaser to get us all hyped. However, speaking on stage after it was shown, creative director Manuel Reinher promises that it will "deliver a Roman gaming experience unlike anything you have ever played."
As revealed via the Ubisoft website, players will step into the role of a Roman Governor in, you guessed it, the year 117 AD. We'll be tasked with building cities while faced with alternate paths – whether you want to "follow the path laid before you, or boldly question the status quo of the empire," the choice is yours. On top of that, you can expect "4X features like diplomacy, military and a solid narrative layer," too, according to a news post.
In addition, it was confirmed that for the first time in the series' history, players will be able to select their starting province – the Celtic wetlands of Albion, or the "traditional" Roman heartlands, Latium – giving real-time strategy fans even more choice over the way they play.
It sounds like the devs are very confident about Anno 117: Pax Romana, anyway, as Reinher also states in the aforementioned news post: "We will not only deliver the fantasy millions of strategy players are waiting for: to govern one of the most iconic ancient empires, we will push beyond that, and change how people see the Roman Empire in games."
Details might be relatively light on the ground for now, but Ubisoft has confirmed that a dev team live stream is set to take place on June 18, where we'll be able to find out more.
Keep up with all the latest from the Ubisoft Forward event with our coverage of all the news from the stream.