Hey Anno Community!

Last week we released the “End of an Era” Pack, and we didn’t choose the name as a joke: With this Cosmetic DLC ends the postlaunch phase for Anno 1800 – about five and a half years after the initial release in April 2019.

Announced in August 2017, Anno 1800 was at the center of everything we were doing for many years: from the big exciting announcement and the launch of the Anno Union over many, many DevBlogs, fan meetings at gamescom, playtests and livestreams to the release, over four seasons of postlaunch gameplay DLC and then two more years of support with Cosmetic DLC and updates. It’s certainly been quite a journey!

We were also happy to ultimately add mod support to the game (and see the modding community flourish), successfully launch Anno 1800 on consoles and celebrate both the Anno series 25th, as well as Anno 1800th 5th birthday with you all.

Sure, there were, no doubt, some hick-ups along the way:

Veterans might remember an incident with an armada of ghost ships in Season 1 or issues around the release of the “Eden Burning” scenario, which left the game in a rough state for the holidays.
For quite a while, the Influence mechanic remained a hotly debated topic – as were items and their balancing. Some of these topics even make a return now in discussions about Anno 117: Pax Romana.


However, ultimately, this didn’t overshadow the fantastic success that Anno 1800 had become or the incredibly appreciation we have seen from all of you, motivating us to continue working on the game throughout all these years.

Certainly, we did not plan for Anno 1800 to have such a long post-launch life, or to see so many smaller and bigger expansions. Looking back, we’re incredibly proud of our work over the last years – even while we are at the same time also happy to close this chapter of our history and start writing a new one. Now in ancient Rome instead of in the time of the Industrial Revolution.

We’re also incredibly proud of having had YOU all with us on this journey! We couldn’t be luckier with this awesome community we have – that is (even when something goes wrong) polite and patient, welcoming to new players, incredibly inventive and has created some of the best memories of our careers as devs.

You’re playing a huge role in what we’re doing, in many decisions we take and in why we can work in jobs that bring us joy.

Thank you!

Therefore, to round things off, we think it’s only appropriate to finish today’s blog with some messages and memories from the team:

Let’s start with two easter eggs that we think haven’t been found yet!

We’re not going to reveal the full details but… let’s imagine there’s a first-person mode that lets you use one of the swan boats from the “Pedestrian Zone” pack. Now, let’s assume there’s a button that lets you… do some acrobatics with the boat. Wouldn’t that be fun?
Johannes, Senior Gameplay Programmer

If you’ve really messed up the water quality in the “Eden Burning” scenario, nature is protesting. Vehemently. At the beach.
Nico, Lead Programmer

Then there are of course some development stories…

Did you know we, for a while, seriously considered a scenario involving aliens in Season 4? It was supposed to draw on some 19th century science-fiction works and involve a defense against non-human invaders.
Dominik, Game Designer

Did you know that when the team first introduced cats and dogs to the game, they assigned them the regular “pedestrian kid” behaviour since we didn’t have a specific “pedestrian animal” behaviour yet? The result was… interesting, with gangs of cats and dogs heading to the zoo to watch the other animals there.
Jan, Gameplay Programmer

The time we forgot to remove the “strange idol” item from a cancelled questline in DLC 12. We hoped you wouldn’t notice but… of course you all did. And not just that, this even resulted in some elaborate conspiracy theories about secret messages and teasers (and we never do teasers, as you know).
Jannika, Game Writer

Wow, End of an Era is here, and my memories from working on 1800 are flowing in, everything from starting my first job for a big game publisher on Anno 1800 in 2021 till my last work on 1800 – the Eldritch pack.
Anno 1800 has given me so much joy and experience in working with game development, people and crafting great content for you, the player.

A couple of highlights are:

• Introducing New World Rising in our Season 4 Trailer.
  
• Being in charge of the Seasonal Decorations pack on the QA side (still annoyed it got released with the wrong icon, the placeholder was just that good hahah).
  
• Working on the creative mode with Dominik, coming up with a lot of suggestions of what to add, like that every resident tier can be built directly, that every zoo and museum module could be built as an ornament – and just so so many ornaments!
  
• And then, close to the end, when we added the mod support to Anno 1800, the great collaboration between the few of us that were still working on 1800 back then.

All in all, I want to say thank you to all of you – the fans – for supporting the game and our team these years. It’s been amazing and I can’t wait for you to see what Anno 117: Pax Romana has to offer!

Sic Parvis Magna
Jan, Development Tester


Thank you so much for every minute you played at Anno. Your support, your having fun while creating your own little world is the biggest joy and gratification a designer could ask for <3
Thank you for being the most wholesome community I ever joined! Nothing warms my heart like joining the twitch lives and reading your comments on Reddit.
The end of 1800 is just the beginning of a new chapter and the beginning of your new empire!
See you in Rome!
Elisabetta, UI Designer


There’s no doubt that we have one of the most wholesome communities in gaming. Both in the interactions with each other as well in interactions with us from the dev team, the calm, friendly and constructive manner in which you engaged with others made the lives of players and devs (especially mine <3) of Anno 1800 just so much better.
Never change, please, and we’ll all continue to have a great time with Anno.
Oliver, Community Developer

After five years of regular updates, Anno 1800 has finally released its final content: the End of an Era Pack. This marks the end of a beautiful five-year industrial journey together with this game! With 30 additional contents released, we cannot thank you enough for your love and support!

To celebrate this milestone, these are the final days to take part in the #Anno1800CreativeFestival. We 're inviting you to showcase your best in-game creations using various additional content from the main game. Seize this opportunity to highlight your favorite contents!

The Cosmetic Pack #16: End of an Era Pack was released today!

This pack includes everything you need to celebrate the grand finale of Anno 1800. Step onto the dance floor, watch breathtaking fireworks, or enjoy captivating performances in the auditorium. With over 27 new festive ornaments and skins, this pack will help you turn your cities into the perfect celebration space!

If you haven't seen it on our social media, you're invited to our Creative Festival! The festival is coming to an end soon, so don't miss your chance to participate. Here are the rules:

Use any combination of DLCs and Cosmetic Packs to design visual masterpieces in the game. Whether it's an island, city, or district, the choice is yours. Once you're finished, take a screenshot using the game's photo mode and reply to our post with your creation and the hashtag #Anno1800CreativeFestival. Don't forget to mention which additional content you used, so we can see what your favorites are! Here are our official accounts:

• X/Twitter : ANNO_EN[x.com]
  
• Instagram: AnnoGame[www.instagram.com]

At the end of the Creative Festival, we'll showcase the best creations across all our social channels to celebrate the community's creativity. There might even be a few surprises, so stay tuned! In the meantime, check out some amazing creations from the Anno community.


The end of Anno 1800 is not the end of the Anno adventure! We revealed Anno 117: Pax Romana during Ubisoft Forward last June, and for those who missed the recent dev livestream on the Annogame Twitch account[www.twitch.tv], the Anno 117: Pax Romana Steam page is now live! Be sure to wishlist the game[http//link+wishlist+to+add] and follow it to stay updated on the latest news. We can't wait to tell you more about the game in 2025!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3274580

Release Date: December 5th, 6PM UTC+1

• Added support for the “End of an Era” Pack Cosmetic DLC.

• Unlocked all past Twitch Drops for everyone

• Fixed the missing textures for the man in the hammock in the “Pirate Cove” Pack CDLC on low and medium settings
  
• Added several missing items to the Annoversary World’s Fair Exhibition reward pool
  
• Fixed a false “Missing DLC” warning that was displayed when constructing some ornaments from blueprints

Hello Anno Community,
As you might have seen in our latest teasers on social media or yesterday’s livestream, we will soon release a brand new Cosmetic DLC, the “End of an Era” Pack!

To be totally honest with you all, when first approaching this DevBlog, we struggled to find the right words to talk about it and give this Pack full justice – both because of its grandiosity and the fact that it marks, for real, the end of an era. If you don’t know this already, this CDLC will be the last piece of content developed for Anno 1800, after an amazing journey that lasted 5 years, with 16 beautiful Cosmetic DLC – not to mention the post-launch game content released over the years.

But let’s not get emotional now, we haven’t even started talking about the Pack! So, without further ado, let’s join the festival.

In this pack there are Funfair Stalls for all necessities, big and small: whether your residents would like to smash some unicorn pinatas, eat some food or enjoy the famous Anno cocktail at the Cocktail Bar – the Margarita Hunt – for an evening of fun, the End of an Era Pack contains everything you’ll need to build the perfect festival in your Anno cities.

For the residents who enjoy movement, a Dance Floor is in order – together with a Beer Tent for when they need a break and a fresh drink after all the late-night waltzes.

Flowers are a central theme of this pack as you might have noticed: Lily Pond Lights, Dazzling Dandelions, and colourful Fairy Flowers installations – each of them with multiple variations. And who knew flowers could pair this well with an Aquatic Streetlights and an Aquatic Light Tunnel?

Anno 1800 looks SO stylish in neon pink, don’t you think? Or neon blue, green, yellow... all the colours! Well, colours extravaganza is another recurring theme in this pack. Engineers’ and Investors’ residences have never looked this great – and so sparkly!

Fun for the whole family: the latest musical masterpiece starring Bente Jorgensen, Sir Archibald Blake, Carl Leonard von Malching (and his pink tutu), and The One True God of Anno, is in theatre now! Treat your residents to a show they will never forget, thanks to the Musical Stage included in this pack. Some of you might remember “The Jorgensens – The Musical” from the credits scene in Anno 1800, which was masterfully recreated by the talented Laura in this shorter version for the ornament (more info on this in the Q&A section). And do not worry about limited seating for the show, we even included an Auditorium to accommodate a big audience.

What kind of festival would it be without fireworks closing the night? Actually, let us rephrase that – what kind of End of an Era Pack would it be without fireworks celebrating the support you’ve showed us for the past 5 years? These fireworks will paint your Anno sky with our gratitude and appreciation, as well as... flying pigs and unicorns? (Editor’s note: no animals or magical creatures were harmed during the production of this CDLC)


And now, it is time for our favourite part: Q&A with the Art Team! We asked some questions to Laura, Prop Artist and CDLC Overlord™ on Anno, to get some insights on the creative process behind the End of an Era Pack.

Q: It seems that you had a lot of fun creating this pack! What were the main sources of inspiration for it?
A: So, after some brainstorming the decision was made: we wanted to go out with a big festive bang, a celebration of Anno and the Players and since it would release around Christmas time the first source of inspiration had to be fairy lights, lots of lights in the dark, like a Christmas Wonderland kind of theme. But the idea of another Christmas Package didn`t quite do it for us, so we went ahead and made it into, what I call, "a crazy unicorn festival of lights, flowers and dancing". Luckily, I had been to Tokyo earlier in the year and took away quite some inspiration from the teamLab Exposition, which is an amazing thing, everybody who can go see, do it! So, in short, the main sources of inspiration would be a mad mix of Christmas Wonderland sparkle and the fantastic teamLab Tokyo.

Q: What was the hardest ornament or skin to create? Why?
A: In terms of designing, the hardest were actually the tiny festive stalls. We have so many stalls in the game already, it was quite hard to come up with something completely new. So, after initial rather tame designs, I decided to go more bonkers with this and make them out to be weird, dreamy flowers from the top view, which in the end fit in quite well with the flowery overall theme.

Q: This CDLC is filled with content, which ornament or skin is your favourite? Is there a particular reason?
A: I think I have two favourites. The first will be the blue lights tunnel with the goldfish "swimming through", just because I would love to go through there in real life, sit down and just endlessly look at it. The second one are the waterlilies. They just look so pretty, better even in the dark and if precious production time was spent with a darkened monitor and only those lilies on the screen staring back at me.... It was.... Ehm... I was quality checking them, yeah...

Q: How was it to work on the last CDLC for Anno 1800? It’s literally the end of an era!
A: Working on it was great, as is true for most of the CDLCs. It’s true though that this time around there was mixed in a hint of sadness, to let my precious CDLC-babies go, to let go of my self-organised authoritarian overlord state, and the uncertainty of what would come next-task wise didn`t help either. But there was also relief, because it grew so hard to come up with new, purely cosmetic ideas. So, it was a cocktail of emotions, but staring at the waterlilies soothed about everything.

Q: Flying pigs fireworks?! We love them! But why?
A: Well.... Only when the pigs learn to fly, will there be an end to Anno 1800! 😄

Q: How complex was it to create the theatre ornament?
A: The Theatre was a self-evolving, not-certain-to-be-created-at-all kind of thing. We wanted to have a really big festive tent as a main attraction, but it ended up looking a lot like a circus tent no matter what. And I had been having this idea to bring the credits into the CDLC (because "The End"...), so I just threw the two of them together, the big tent with the theatre stage in front of it and there it was. What was a bit tedious was the animation of the puppets, which I did frame by frame imitating the exact movie animation. That took a lot of endurance... But the result was quite worthwhile, I think. So yes, it was the most complex ornament to do in this package, but also the most rewarding.

Q: Which Anno 1800 CDLC would you combine with this one to decorate your own city?
A: Well, this is something that I do really like about this package in particular, that it is so very universally combinable with a lot of the stuff we already have in the game. Be it the Holiday -, the Amusement -, the City Lights -Pack or the Seasonal Decorations, even the Chinese New Year Pack CDLC or the ornaments from the High Life DLC, you can just build a huge festival throughout the city, throw in basically everything: the madder, the better.


What’s left to say? We could write words and words about how weird it feels to be writing the last DevBlog for Anno 1800, and how bittersweet it is to be at the end of this journey – but that’s for another day.

The End of an Era Pack will be available starting December 5th for the usual price of 4.99€ or your regional equivalent.
We cannot wait to admire your festival-ready cities in Anno 1800!

• Musical stage
  
• Auditorium
  
• Dance Floor
  
• Beer tent (2 variants)
  
• Lily Pond Lights (4 variants)
  
• Dazzling Dandelions (3 variants)
  
• Wisp Lanterns (4 variants)
  
• Fairy Flowers (4 variants)
  
• Flowery Funfair Stall (2 variants)
  
• Unicorn Funfair Stall (2 variants)
  
• Cocktail Bar
  
• Sunflower Swing
  
• Aquatic Streetlights (2 variants)
  
• Fireworks Podium (2 variants)
  
• Aquatic Light Tunnel (3 variants)
  
• Festive Light Tunnel
  
• Funfair Arch (3 variants)
  
• Balloon Pole (2 variants)
  
• Flower Power Flag
  
• Large Banner (4 variants)
  
• Bunting (2 variants)
  
• Sun Gate
  
• Umbrella Seats (4 variants)
  
• Iluminatree (3 variants)
  
• Parade Pavement (4 variants)
  
• Glowing Garlands (3 variants)
  
• Festive Skin – Engineers Residence
  
• Festive Skin – Investors Residence

Release Date: September 19th, 3PM UTC+2

• Added support for the “Pirate Cove” Pack Cosmetic DLC.

• Fixed misaligned smoke effects for the flagship when using the Nautilus skin
  
• Removed sound effects of CDLC 14 residences which drowned out the rest of the game’s sound effects
  
• Fixed an issue with ambient setting not being moddable anymore
  
• Fixed an issue with the initialization of the mods when starting the game

Ahoy me hearties,

It's yer Cap’n speakin’! Get yer spyglasses out, be it treasure wha’ ye see? Aye ‘tis, all the shiny loot ye see ‘ere is part of the “Pirate Cove” Pack Cosmetic DLC! Avast ye, enough wit’ the useless natterin’ now, weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen! Let’s 'ave a closer look at dis mighty good treasure. Aaaarghhh!


Splice the mainbrace, ye old salt! At the Red Herring we spare no grog or rum. Whether you need a drink to refuel yourself after a long time lost at sea or simply need a hiding spot from your sworn enemies, the Red Herring is the place for you. Be careful, though! Even walls have ears in this place, so make sure not to reveal where you stashed your treasure, savvy? You might need to use some War Cannons and Nautical Rope Fence to protect it from other buccaneers.

Speaking of treasure – what “Pirate Cove” Pack would it be without Legendary Loot? According to a treasure map we found, a treasure has been buried next to an Interesting Rock Formation. Dis cap’n said too much already... ‘n we all know dat dead men tell no tales.

After a long day at sea, sailing and plundering, 'tis time to relax. Yes, pirates need peace ‘n sleep too, sometimes. Whether you seek shade under the palm trees of the Hammock or some food at the Beach Barbecue, remember to first pay a visit to the Captain’s Tent to get your share of the bounty.

Cap'n! Be ye ready t’ sail the High Seas wit’ the Ominous Octopus? Her infamous sails can be spotted from miles away and her reputation precedes her. Will you be brave enough to venture through dangerous seas and face other Man-O-Wars? The Ship-of-the-line has never looked this... ominous, indeed. Me think this look does suit her mighty well, doesn’t it?

The “Pirate Cove” Pack will be available just in time to celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day, that means starting 19th September – on PC and consoles, for the usual price of 100 Pieces of Eight... err, 4.99€ or your regional equivalent.

We look forward to seeing your infamous creations with the “Pirate Cove” Pack – we're sure you’ll make Anne Harlow and Jean La Fortune proud!

• Abandoned Rowboat
  
• Mutinous Crew
  
• Captain's Tent
  
• Hammock
  
• Beach Barbecue
  
• Shipwreck
  
• Interesting Rock Formation
  
• Guardian of the Cove
  
• Tiki Torch (2 variants)
  
• Legendary Loot
  
• Crow’s Nest
  
• War Cannon (2 variants)
  
• Sand (modular system)
  
• Nautical Rope Fence (modular system)
  
• Palisade Gate
  
• "Red Herring"
  
• “Pirate Shack” skin for tier 1 residence (4 models)
  
• “Infamous Outpost” Trading Post skin (4 tiers)
  
• “Ominous Octopus” Ship-of-the-Line skin

Release Date: May 14th, 3PM UTC+2

• Added support for the “Steampunk” Pack Cosmetic DLC.

• Added a “Friendship” ornament for all players to celebrate Anno 1800’s fifth birthday
  
• Added modding support for shaders and sound banks (support for the New Horizon mod)

• Fixed an issue which resulted in the buffs from multiple items not affecting the Charcoal Kiln in the New World.
  
• Fixed an issue that resulted in the “Miombo Woodlands” buff not extending to the Charcoal Kiln in the New World.
  
• Fixed the missing buff from the Optimization Influence bonus for upgraded Emergency Services in the Old World and Cape Trelawney.
  
• Fixed the Credits to add licenses that were not mentioned previously.
  
• Fixed some display issues with mods larger than 2GB.
  
• Minor security update related to the mod browser.
  
• Fixed an issue with some ornaments not appearing in “sort by type” when multiple Cosmetic DLC were owned.
  
• Fixed the issue that prevented players from relocating the Grand Oil Harbour in Enbesa.

Fixed an issue that didn’t send player to the lobby when joining a game via an invite without having started the game.

Hey Anno Community,

Prepare yourself a cup of steamy tea and get ready for a nice read because today, after much teasing, it is finally time to dive into our upcoming Cosmetic DLC: the Steampunk Pack! If you watched our End-of the-Year livestream back in December, you might have noticed a small teaser that redirected you to a mysterious page[anno-union.com] set up by none other than Old Nate, who was secretly “leaking” important information and clues on the content of the Steampunk Pack. Safe to say we got that situation under control now… right?

The focus of this Cosmetic DLC is innovation and progress, which perfectly marries with the overall vibe of Anno 1800 and the Industrial Revolution era. However, with the Steampunk Pack, you’ll discover a new peculiar side to the age of innovation: steam-powered machinery and aesthetics, highly advanced, but quite unnecessary in application. This was the humorous twist that Laura – Prop Artist on Anno and self-appointed CDLC Overlord – wanted to give to this pack, and we are all for it. The Dragonfly Man taking off to the sky from the “Unreal University” is a perfect example of this, don’t you think?

"The idea with this is not taking ourselves, as humanity, too seriously. Sometimes we have this new technology, and we try to implement it everywhere, whether it makes sense or not, and most of the time it doesn’t with these ornaments. And this is my kind of humour!"
- Laura, Prop Artist

The University building is not the only one receiving a new skin with the Steampunk Pack. This pack also includes skins for the Investors’ residences and the Church, that will be transformed into the “Temple of Progress”: considering the huge telescope towering over the building, the name sounds like perfect fit. Who knows what they will find?

Is it getting steamy in here or is there a bath house in your city? The biggest ornament of this CDLC is the Steam Spa, the place that will make your residents relax and forget about their daily worries. Plus, it’s all automated! Of course, the Steam Spa is only one of the many ornaments in this pack, all characterised by moving clogs and wheels, almost mesmerising your residents: from a beautiful Celestial Fountain surrounded by bubbly steam to a small aquarium hosting the most exotic underwater creatures. However, one statue reigns supreme in this pack: Eva.Porator, an ornament that emblematically symbolises one of the biggest inspirations of this pack, Metropolis – a German science-fiction film from the 1920s.

Needless to say, we are obsessed with the colour theme in this pack: from the metallic shades of bronze and gold shining under the light of the sun to the celestial blues of the ground tiles and building windows. This colour in the different tiles, as well: not just one, but three different tiles for you to build the perfect paths and plazas around your cities.

It wouldn’t be a Steampunk Pack worthy of its name without a train skin, don’t you think? Well, in this CDLC you get two of them! The “Steamliner” and the “New Era Express”. And speaking of means of transport, the flagship is completely unrecognisable with the “Nautilus” skin, a beautiful reference to the fictional submarine belonging to Captain Nemo in Jules Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas”.

The Steampunk Pack will be available starting 14th May on PC and consoles, for the usual price of 4.99€ or your regional equivalent.

If you’d like to see the new ornaments in action before that, we recommend watching our birthday livestream VOD[www.twitch.tv], where we had a first look at the full pack with the guidance of its creator, Laura.

We cannot wait to admire your cities decorated with the Steampunk Pack!

• Eccentric Overpass
  
• Celestial fountain
  
• Eva.Porator
  
• Steam O’Clock
  
• Aquarium
  
• Adver-Turner
  
• Steam Spa
  
• Celestial Tiles, three types
  
• Steam Pipe
  
• Investors residence skins
  
• “Temple of Progress” Church skin
  
• “Steamliner” Train skin
  
• “New Era Express” train skin
  
• “Nautilus” Flagship skin
  
• “Unreal University” University skin

Hey Anno Community!

It's sometimes hard to believe, but Anno 1800's fifth birthday is coming up on April 16th!

To celebrate the occasion we'll be holding a livestream to talk a bit about the last few years.
Additionally, we're going to talk about the work of the Art Team and the process to get from early scribble to final asset - with special guest Laura, Prop Artist at Ubisoft Mainz.

And, finally, we'll give you a first look at the upcoming Cosmetic DLC: the Steampunk Pack!

Join us here on our Twitch channel[www.twitch.tv] on Tuesday, April 16th, at 5PM CEST / 11AM EST.