Anno Online sails into open beta
Ubisoft's Anno Online has opened the city gates for an open beta, granting all access to the free-to-play city building strategy game. Interested lords and ladies should set course to anno-online.com for access. New players logging in during the first week of the open beta will receive a "premium ship." Players who participated in the closed beta will receive several rewards. The greatest gift? Their data won't be wiped per the standard beta transition, so they can continue on.
Based on Anno 1404 (previously known as Dawn of Discovery in the States), Anno Online has players build and develop a medieval city, support the population and develop trade routes. Anno Online will also add a guild system sometime this month for players to cooperate with friends.
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UBISOFT'S ANNO ONLINE® MOVES INTO OPEN BETA PHASE
Following Successful Closed Beta, Ubisoft Welcomes All English-Speaking Players to Join In the Fun in the Free-to-Play City-Builder
SAN FRANCISCO – May 14, 2013 – Ubisoft® has launched the Open Beta phase of Anno Online, the latest installment in the award-winning PC strategy game series, for players in North America and all English speaking countries. Developed by Ubisoft Blue Byte, Anno Online is a free-to-play, browser-based world-building strategy game that challenges players to build and manage a medieval kingdom and trading empire.
Anno Online is now available to anyone that signs up or logs in with their existing Uplay account via the game's official web site www.anno-online.com.
Anno Online has just completed a highly successful Closed Beta in which thousands of players from around the world helped test and prove the stability and superior performance of the game's single- and multi-player capabilities. Gaming media have also tested the game for themselves, with Destructoid.com calling Anno Online "...a great alternative to the new Sim City" and GamingBolt.com declaring that "...what Ubisoft has accomplished here is nothing short of staggering."
As the Open Beta launches, Closed Beta players will receive several rewards as a celebration. First, Blue Byte has announced that all current accounts will continue without the traditional "data wipe," meaning players can continue their current games seamlessly. In addition, Closed Beta players are eligible for two gifts: all players will receive a decorative statue for their city while those Closed Beta players who log-in and play during the first week of Open Beta will also be rewarded with a premium ship. This exclusive ship can carry more freight and is faster than other ships in the game.
Strategy and simulation fans interested in joining the Open Beta and discovering the amazing gameplay of Anno Online -- for free -- should visit the game's official site at www.anno-online.com.
ABOUT ANNO ONLINE
Based on the critically acclaimed Anno 1404®, Anno Online delivers the franchise's proven and popular strategy-simulation gameplay along with the series' highly-detailed animation and graphics, for the first time in a browser-based title. Players will build and develop great medieval cities using the detailed economic system enjoyed for years by Anno fans. As they satisfy the population's needs, they will unlock new buildings and face more demanding inhabitants, eventually needing to discover and claim additional islands and connect them with trading routes.
In Anno Online, players will start on a deserted island with only two buildings (a harbour and a warehouse) and will have to make the best of their resources to build, manage and expand their territory in order to develop a commercial empire. Trade by ships remains an essential component of the game, and will offer multiplayer possibilities that will further enhance the deep economic system of Anno Online.
GUILD SYSTEM COMING MID-MAY
Anno Online will introduce new persistent online gameplay possibilities and offer players the opportunity to cooperate with friends thanks to the Guild System, set to release in mid-May. This Guild System will allow players to create their own Guilds, choose a name and tag, and invite up to 25 members to join. The guild can then establish a larger strategy thanks to the guild chat channel. Guilds will have access to a new building, the Guild Hall building, which will allow members to gather together.
About BlueByte, a Ubisoft studio:
Blue Byte was established in 1988 and released its first hit game in 1991: Battle Isle. This was followed in 1993 by the development strategy game The Settlers®, which established itself as a long-lasting favorite. In 2001, Blue Byte was acquired by Ubisoft, and in 2004 the studio moved into the premises of Ubisoft's German branch in Düsseldorf. The team at Blue Byte is responsible for new productions of The Settlers® and ANNO®. The studio is also active in the free-2-play genre with the web-based browser game The Settlers Online, available in several languages and currently captivating millions of players worldwide.
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in 26 countries and has sales in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2010-11 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1.039 billion. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com
© 2012 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. Produced by Blue Byte. Anno, Blue Byte and the Blue Byte logo are trademarks of Ubisoft GmbH in the US and/or other countries
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