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Ubisoft fully acquires Anno developer
Ubisoft has fully purchased German developer Related Designs, best known for creating the Anno strategy series (Americans may remember Anno 1404 as Dawn of Discovery). The French publisher previously held a 30 percent share in the company, but bought the other 70 percent in an undisclosed cash transaction."Bringing the talented teams from Related Designs into the fold at Ubisoft is a mutually beneficial evolution of the relationship that we've had with this great studio for the past six years," said Odile Limpach, managing director at Ubisoft's Blue Byte studio (also in Germany). Ubisoft's Blue Byte (The Settlers) was handling publishing duties on the Anno series since Anno 1404 in 2009 C.E.
GameFly PC sale: cheap Mass Effect Trilogy, Hitman Absolution, more
GameFly is running a special on select Windows PC downloads, offering up Hitman: Absolution for $12.49, Max Payne 3 for $14.99, Deus Ex: Human Revolution for $4.99, Mass Effect Trilogy for $24.99, Anno 2070 for $17.49 and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City for $12.49.Late last year, GameFly introduced its standalone PC client, a digital storefront to purchase and rent PC games for subscribers and non-subscribers alike. Subscribers gain access to the Unlimited PC Play section, where they can persistently sample from hundreds of PC games.
Anno 2070 Domination Mode mapped out by developers
Anno 2070's new multiplayer mode, Domination, allows two teams of five to fight for control of various points. Watch how it's done in the video above. Also, check out the size of that mic!
Dive into Anno 2070's 'Deep Ocean' this October
Anno 2070's under the sea expansion pack "Deep Ocean" will be available October 4 for $29.99.Announced earlier this year, the downloadable add-on will allow for a underwater geothermal plant, a new Tech Monument and a new population class of "Genius" for the Tech faction. Deep Ocean also includes over 150 new quests, along with co-op features.Did our "under the sea" get you humming The Little Mermaid this time?%Gallery-153875%
Anno 2070 dives deep to extract expansion this fall
Anno 2070 will go under the sea this autumn with the "Deep Ocean" expansion. The pack will allow for an underwater geothermal plant, a "hostile takeover" without the use of military, a new population class of "Genius" for the Tech faction and several other additions.The futurisitic update of the commerce and ecological strategy simulation has been receiving generally positive reviews since its launch late last year. It's too bad then that news about the game has circled around complications from Ubisoft's DRM.Also, let us know if that carefully placed "under the sea" earlier triggered a brain hack forcing you to start humming the song from The Little Mermaid.%Gallery-153875%
Ubi's server migration closeouts extend beyond previously announced titles
Ubisoft is in the middle of transferring all of its data from one server farm to another, and while we knew the process would render some games unplayable, it seems the migration has affected a wider swath of Ubisoft's catalogue than previously anticipated.Players are reporting issues with the PC version of Driver: San Francisco and with Anno 2070, according to a report by Eurogamer. Ubisoft, in addition to apologizing on its Twitter feed, is also working to correct the problem and has already found a preliminary solution for Anno 2070 players unable to get online. Ubisoft expects services to be fully restored by Thursday morning.
PSA: Ubisoft server migration means temporary offline time for some games
Beginning February 7, Ubisoft will transition all of its data from one third-party server farm to another, and as a result online functionality in most Ubisoft titles will be disabled during that time. Some Ubisoft games won't be playable at all, but that list is rather short and will only affect Mac and PC gamers.Ubisoft's most recent triple-A titles will thankfully be unaffected: Anno 2070, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Driver: San Francisco, and Just Dance 3 will all remain playable (both online and offline) during the transition. The OSX version of the original Assassin's Creed, however, will be completely unplayable, as will the OSX version of Splinter Cell: Conviction and the PC versions of Might and Magic: Heroes VI and Tom Clancy's HAWX 2.The online portions of all other Ubisoft games will be disabled during the transition, although offline modes should still function normally. Ubisoft has yet to provide an estimated completion date for the move, recommending instead that people follow its official Twitter account for updates. [REDMIRAGE via Shutterstock]
Anno 2070 DRM grudgingly altered as little as possible
It's hard to watch Ubisoft's abusive relationship with PC gamers, but here's another example of the publisher delivering a box of chocolates to the hospital room. Economics and ecology simulator Anno 2070 has some pretty strict DRM, allowing only three installs per copy, which is restrictive but not unusual for the publisher. The crazy part occurred when Guru3D discovered that changing graphics cards on the PC counted as an installation.The situation hit DEFCON "facepalm" when Rock Paper Shotgun followed up with the publisher to ask if the bug would be fixed, to which Ubisoft responded that the DRM was working as intended. The publisher continued, "On the rare occasion when a customer does need additional activations, Ubisoft customer service is available to quickly resolve the situation, and we encourage those customers to contact us directly so that we can ensure they are able to continue to enjoy their game."Anno 2070 developer BlueByte has since gotten in contact with Guru3D to say it has removed the graphics hardware from "the hash used to identify the PC." Customers who legally purchased the game can now switch graphics cards as many times as they want, putting them in parity with those who pirated the game.
Ubisoft bringing Assassins, Rabbids, and Future Soldiers to Gamescom
Sure, said assassins, rabbids, and future soldiers will arrive in video game form, but there's at least an air of danger in Ubisoft's Gamescom lineup. The French publisher revealed its German cavalry this week, saying that all titles will be available either in hands-on versions or hands-off presentations. From Dust (released on consoles thus far), Far Cry 3, Might & Magic Heroes VI, and Rayman Origins will be on site. Ubi will also hold a roundtable discussion titled, "Is Online Gaming Changing How We Create?" and featuring "creative leaders from Ubisoft's online teams. It'll be open to press, Ubisoft partners and the show's trade visitors. It's not necessarily bad news for you, Joe Public. While we're busy watching the roundtable, you could be jamming on some Anno 2070!
See the pretty, sterile Anno 2070 debut teaser trailer
Anno 2070's first trailer feels so much like a pharmaceutical commercial that we keep waiting for the voice-over to tell us the side effects of playing the game. You know, beyond: sense of lost time.
Ubisoft puts Anno 2070 on its calendar for anno 2011
Having released Dawn of Discovery in 2009, German developer Related Designs is producing a follow-up to its city building / strategy game which shifts the timeline several centuries forward. Co-developed by The Settlers studio Blue Byte, Anno 2070 is due out on PC this year, promising some twists on the core mechanics of its predecessors as the result of its near-future setting. Ubisoft says that the results of global climate change depicted in-game will require players to take advantage of "architectural breakthroughs" in order to grow their nations. By setting the title in the future, "the development team wasn't restricted by historical boundaries and was able to dream bigger than ever before." You'd think eco-disasters would have put the kibosh on industrialization, but in fact, players will get to side with either the "pave the planet" Tycoons or the "the greener the better" Ecos from the outset. A third faction, one that can't be bothered to separate the recycling or install compact fluorescent light bulbs, was deemed too apathetic to make the cut.%Gallery-120362%
