- Anno 1800
- Announcement
- Union Update
Ubisoft is partnering with Epic Games Store for Anno 1800
- 29.03.2019
Following the successful launch of Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 on PC on the Ubisoft Store and the Epic Games store, we are announcing today that we are partnering with Epic Games on Anno 1800 as well. Players can now pre-order the Deluxe and Standard editions of Anno 1800 on PC on the Epic Games store. Moreover, all players will be able to try Anno 1800 via the Open Beta, scheduled from April 12 to April 14, by downloading the game on Uplay or via the Epic Games store. Once the game has been released on April 16, 2019, Anno 1800 will only be available digitally on the Ubisoft Store and the Epic Games store. Pre-orders on Steam can be made until the release of the game. Everyone who pre-ordered Anno 1800 on Steam will be able to play the game upon release and will automatically get all future updates and content.
Frequently asked questions
Will the game stay in Steam libraries for those that have preordered?
If you pre-ordered the game via Steam, it will remain in your library. You will be able to launch the game through your Steam client, and you will receive all content and game updates at the same time as players on other digital storefronts. Ubisoft is committed to provide the same experience to all Anno players regardless of their point of purchase.
Can I preorder Anno 1800 on Steam?
Yes, while the game will be available for digital purchase only on Uplay and the Epic Games store after April 16, Anno 1800 can be preordered on Steam until this point. If you preorder the game on Steam, you will be able to play with others who purchased the game on other digital storefronts and get all the upcoming content and patches that will be released after launch.
Whether you have preordered or not, we hope you will join us for the Open Beta on April 12th.
Will Steam players be able to play with all other players?
Yes, Steam players will be able to play online with the same players as Uplay or Epic Games store players. Anno 1800’s multiplayer modus is handled via Uplay regardless of your chosen digital storefront, and will always allow all players to play with and against each other.
Will Steam CS still support players if the game will not officially be on their platform anymore?
As usual, for any support inquiries concerning the Steam store environment, you will still get in contact with the Steam customer support team. For any game related issue, such as technical problems with the game itself, our Ubisoft customer support will provide assistance.
Will the experience for Steam players be the same as Uplay players?
Everyone who pre-ordered Anno 1800 on Steam will be able to play the game upon its release on April 16 2019 and will receive all future content and game updates at the same time as players on other digital storefronts.
Will future patch and content be available to Steam players?
Steam buyers will receive all future content and game updates at the same time as players on other digital storefronts.
Will the previous Anno titles still be on Steam?
There are currently no plans to remove any of the previous Anno games from Steam’s storefront.
Will my Steam preorder be cancelled?
All pre-orders on Steam will be fulfilled. Everyone who pre-ordered Anno 1800 on Steam will be able to play the game upon its release on April 16 2019, and will receive all future content and game updates at the same time as players on other digital storefronts.
Will Steam receive updates/patches like the other platforms?
You will receive all content and game updates at the same time as players on other digital storefronts.
Will the Open Beta be available on Steam?
The Open Beta will be available to all players through Uplay PC and Epic Games store.
Havent bought the game yet, still waiting for the Steam release
Yeah no. I don’t support Epic’s anti-consumer practices or any dev that does exclusives with them.
https://steamcommunity.com/groups/NoExclusiveGames/discussions/0/1796278072844560561/
The download right uplay shop not working download pay from paypal today time at 11:15am awst now 4h late not download rightnow
Yeah, That’s gonna be a no from me, too. I am a huge ANNO fan, but Epic’s storefront is too anti-consumer for me to be interested. Let us know when you decide to come back to Steam.
No Steam, No Purchase!
Perhaps I’ll consider downloading a torrent instead….
another great game i wont be able to play.
To earn a little more money on buying a game you lost my purchase.
That’s too bad. I really wanted to play the Anno 1800..
Could you buy it now as a gift and give it it later to a friend, even if it isn’t available anymore on steam?
And will there be any steam workshop support?
There are no plans for Steam Workshop support, no. As for gifting, I would not know. Perhaps Steam Support could answer that.
Best,
Marcel
Is this a timed exclusive? Will we be able to buy the game on Steam in a year or so like many of the other Epic Store exclusives? Or is this permanent and after 16th April we will not be able to get it on Steam forever?
I will never buy this game on Epic because they are not paying for exclusivity, they are in fact bribing you not to publish the game on one specific platform. Shameful
ubisoft have repeatedly refused to answer this on the games Steam forum and apparently they are refusing to do so here. Ubisoft has become consumer unfriendly #1 and will eventually suffer the consequences of these actions. It may not be today, or tomorrow but it will come. They’d better clean up their act before it’s too late and people jump ship. They already have enough hatred that ubisoft games have to be launched through uPlay, now to pull the game after clearly taking advantage of advertising it on Steam is too far.
It’s absolutely shameful how ubisoft is treating the gamers to make a few extra bucks. They should NOT have allowed EGS to bribe them in this way and the only reason I can come up with is because they knew sales would be slumped when people saw that there were some nice QOL improvements in 1800, but it’s basically the same game in a different skin.
Can i launch a game trough epic games if i preorder it on steam ? if no, can we get somekind of codes to activate it on epic games ? Because if i buy it on steam, i can run it trough steam or uplay, so it would be cool if i could run it from epic games too.
i,m probablty the only one thinking this. but you basically still buy the uplay version of the game. you only pay with it trough steam.. ever tought of that? no probably not.. i just skipped everyone posting in here afeter rewading the same stuff from different users.
sorry for the typos ( after reading is what i meant)
I will never install this chinese spyware on my computer.
I trusted your store, I actually wanted to buy it there, but because of this devious strategy to take the reach of steam to promote your game and pull it off the last second – ubisoft has finaly made it to my No-Buy list.
But you are aware that you don’t need to use the Epic Launcher as you can either pre-order it via Steam or even after release, get it via Uplay directly without using the Epic Launcher?
Yes i know. And i stated the reason, why i wouldnt do that – just read my comment.
North Carolina = Chinese?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tencent
They also have minority shares in Blizzard, Activision, Vivendi, and 600 other companies. I assume you also have made sure all your hardware is secure, don’t use a cell phone, or leave a trail on the internet…
I am not here to convince anyone to not use the Epic Store, just to told ubisoft how dissapointet i am.
If you want to know what the Epic store is doing, especially since Tencent is onboard, go read that: https://www.reddit.com/r/PhoenixPoint/comments/b0rxdq/epic_game_store_spyware_tracking_and_you/
I am out.
I get it now. You object to the anti-cheating software on Epic. Caught one too many times? Why don’t you just play for the fun of it and not cheat? What pleasure do you really get out of killing ten year old players when you are cheating?
Yeah buddy you totally got it – kudos to you.
I knew somedays the rather smart people would catch me.
So I guess joining a singleplayer game of Anno and Headshot all the younger players with my cheat isn`t an option anymore…
I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for this brilliant move. Really, I do.
Recently, I’ve gotten my better half into dipping her feet into video games. This year, after great hesitation on her part to download anything she wasnt familiar with, I got her to download Steam. We bought a game she liked, and play it. I’ve recently looked to suprise her with getting her a copy of Anno 1800 on Steam where she can access this as well.
Now, if I dont pre order this, Im left telling her that if she wants to play this, she will have to download some other bloatware. That’s not going to happen. It’s a pain in the rear for some us who enjoy games as a regular hobby to put up with (different applications, load ups, different passwords). To someone just getting into gaming, it’s the dumbest thing that could be implemented. Welcome to gaming, how can we frustrate your experience? Have you have hired consultants from EA?
You leave us with other questions. While DLC has been mentioned (without any real guarantee) we have no word on whether full fledged expansion packs or stand alone titles that may be introduced in the future that import content from this game (some games allow for this) will be supported on Steam.
I have to wonder whether the executives who sit at your big round tables ask questions like “Gamers tend to be males, many of which have decades of experience navigating various platforms, how do we get half the population (females) to look at and embrace our products?”, followed up by “how do we avoid EA type ‘friendly users experiences’ that roll boulders down a hill instantly crushing new gamer satisfaction”? Is there any real analysis with these “Hey I know its last minute, but no Steam” shenanigans? As a curious individual, does the stupidity in board rooms match that of politicians?
As a side note, get some help with your website. Going to different pages often changes the language on the page to German, even though the flag indicates the selection are suppose to be in English. And if your going to have an English page, make sure the optional permission box description is in English as well. I hope the box I clicked allows you to contact me by email, and that I was not granting you permission to harvest a spare kidney.
Please pass this on to Ubisoft if they dont screen these comments directly.
Nobody is passing this on to anyone. You’re clearly making it out to be a bigger issue than it really is. Downloading another client is hardly an issue to begin with. You also have the option to refund on Steam, problem solved. You also have the option to purchase on Uplay, which is required to run Ubisoft games anyway, What are you even complaining about at this point? I have no idea…
*Incoming hyperbole… Steam is superior… Epic Games is Spyware… etc
Disregarding any talk of the EGS store being spyware (Which brings up its own issues) Steam is superior. You know why? BECAUSE STEAM HAS FRIGGEN FEATURES LIKE A SHOPPING CART! Things like user reviews! Achievements! User Forums! Mod support! I could go on all day!
The thing that has people angry with Epic, like i said earlier, disregarding any potential spyware accusations, is that Epic is strong-arming us consumers into using a storefront with less features. In other words, an *Inferior* platform. They use a carrot to lure the Publishers and Developers in, while us consumers get the shaft.
Not many people are opposed to the EGS existing. Because it exists, Steam, and therefore Valve, have to clean up their act or lose their market dominance. But the way Epic is going about everything is leaving many people pissed as hell.
That is what many complain about.
Here here, good reply sums up my thoughts in a more concise way than I could.
I think Ubisoft was scared to be honest. Different game, same game. I think they realized that the game is basically the same as many of the other Anno games and once word got out, sales would be lacking.
So take the kickback from EGS now to minimize losses.
It’s a shame that I won’t have the latest Anno, however I’ve played the beta extensively now and well… It’s just “meh”
As somebody said, they are seeing some pages in German, why am I seeing”Benachrichtige mich über nachfolgende Kommentare per E-Mail.” below my posting this message? Inferior product, ubisoft… Yes!
Will buy when it’s back on the platform that I WANT to use, not the platform that I’m FORCED to use.
This just feels shady.
Regardless of whether or not you’re charging the same amount for the game on both platforms, it’s impossible for your customers to *not* feel like they’re getting hosed when you pull stunts like this.
You’re taking pre-orders on both platforms, selling for 24 hours on Steam, and then running over to EGS? This kind of double-dipping tells me that the word “exclusive” doesn’t mean what you think it means. Congratulations Ubisoft, given every possible permutation of routes that you could have taken, you’ve managed to choose the one that will alienate Steam users, EGS users, *and* general consumers. Rock on, fellas.
They seemed to have very carefully made sure that people who pre-ordered it on Steam would get what they paid for, that people could order it on Epic, if they so desired, or get it on U-Play, if they so desire.
How exactly, are customers being ‘hosed’?
GO TO HELL!
I mean, I don’t disagree.. But there are more subtle ways of expressing your anger…
Are these bots offering these epic rants against Epic? I don’t get it. I don’t understand their ire. I don’t understand their problem. I don’t understand, if these aren’t paid bots, how the human race is going to survive this next generation.
It’s just herd instinct. But thankfully it’s only a minority who believes this is even remotely an issue. Games are selling well on the Epic Games store. Human race is gonna be OK.
It’s absolutely not herd instinct or bots. Try understanding someone else’s viewpoint and reading what they actually say before dismissing it so offhandedly.
We read your viewpoint.. We understand it. We recognize it as absurd. Explain to us why this is a problem for you.
Buddy is all very simple.
1) No one trusts Epic. For such an opinion, it is enough to read their license agreement and the fact of spying on Steam accounts (it’s not a fact that they will not harm the accounts given their agreement).
2) Yubisoft has real problems with their store, there is a sad experience.
3) Many are afraid that user support will be worse (there is experience, I was told that the problem will not be solved).
To quote an answer of mine from another comment,
“Disregarding any talk of the EGS store being spyware (Which brings up its own issues) Steam is superior. You know why? BECAUSE STEAM HAS FRIGGEN FEATURES LIKE A SHOPPING CART! Things like user reviews! Achievements! User Forums! Mod support! I could go on all day!
The thing that has people angry with Epic, like i said earlier, disregarding any potential spyware accusations, is that Epic is strong-arming us consumers into using a storefront with less features. In other words, an *Inferior* platform. They use a carrot to lure the Publishers and Developers in, while us consumers get the shaft.
Not many people are opposed to the EGS existing. Because it exists, Steam, and therefore Valve, have to clean up their act or lose their market dominance. But the way Epic is going about everything is leaving many people pissed as hell.”
I hope this makes the waters a bit less murky.
Not bots, just people who would rather get their games from storefronts that don’t sell their info to the Chinese government, and that have user reviews on the storepage.
April fools!
Is this a 1-year removal from Steam or a permanent one?
I fully support this decision and obviously sales of The Division 2 have already proven that the majority of gamers share my sentiment that we care more about quality games than the launchers that load them. The vocal minority like to make their voices heard but if Epic is increasing the funds of developers through exclusivity deals then this is a good thing and will only push gaming forward. I suspect many of the younger gamers will not understand this and take it as an attack on their freedom of choice, let them cry, they should be crying to Valve to change their revenue split to match the fairer one of Epic.
Yeah, poor big developers like Ubisoft need those extra dollars to make better games. LUL
Buddy is not a fact.
Improvements are also a merit of users.
Post to patch 1.0.1
War patch 1.3 (5 people sought change, constant controversy with tape drives and their support).
A lot of offers … events on the streets and much more.
Do not say that which you do not know.
After using Steam for over 10 years, and having been a gamer for 26 years, I don’t think I’d call myself a young gamer. And while Steam needs solid competition, Epic amounts to shitty spyware. After recent data breaches, I don’t trust many companies with my info, and when a company actively scours hard-drives for information, I REALLY don’t trust it! If Valve want’s to gouge big devs like Ubisoft, they can. If Ubisoft is so worried about the profit split, they can leave. But if the “vocal minority” aren’t joining them, their profits dip anyway. This problem will sort itself, but unless Epic stops being anti-consumer, It’ll likely lean one way.
side-note, kissing Ubi’s ass won’t win you anything, and criticizing “younger gamers” with a name like “SkeamR” looks ridiculous.
I just do not understand why ppl whom supported anno 1800 just turned their backs on the Developers to boycott this game just because some decision of a bigshot investor made this move to safe money…
Another User laid it out nicely:
“Disregarding any talk of the EGS store being spyware (Which brings up its own issues) Steam is superior. You know why? BECAUSE STEAM HAS FRIGGEN FEATURES LIKE A SHOPPING CART! Things like user reviews! Achievements! User Forums! Mod support! I could go on all day!
The thing that has people angry with Epic, like i said earlier, disregarding any potential spyware accusations, is that Epic is strong-arming us consumers into using a storefront with less features. In other words, an *Inferior* platform. They use a carrot to lure the Publishers and Developers in, while us consumers get the shaft.
Not many people are opposed to the EGS existing. Because it exists, Steam, and therefore Valve, have to clean up their act or lose their market dominance. But the way Epic is going about everything is leaving many people pissed as hell.”
plus the devs aren’t exactly new to this, nor are they above reproach.
This is a disgraceful move I hope in the future you guys don’t do anything like this ever again very anti-consumer
Why UBI? You have yours system of benefits to stimul people buying games in yours own shop (20% discount for 100 coins). So, why you support epic “fail” game store? You can cooperate with both shops and people choose own way! NO, you say people are stupid and they could still support it more then ten years established mark (yes, it is not perfect, but still much better then others). I play PC games more then twenty years and I never saw such arrogance as like epic.
To clarify a misconception I keep seeing: If you buy the game at retail (in Poland and German-speaking countries), on Steam or on Uplay, you do not need to use the Epic Games Store launcher, and don’t need to have an Epic account to play Anno 1800.
this current issue of Ubisoft suddenly arbitrarily switching exclusive distribution channels is indicative of the major challenge facing not only BlueByte and the Anno franchise but society as a whole — capitalism!
understandably, BlueByte wants to put all their energies into design and optimum gameplay, without having to devote capital and labor to global marketing, distribution and server hosting. so choices are made and Ubisoft is the publisher, who takes care of those functions — at a price — and we are witnessing the downside of such an arrangment. Ubisoft’s larger turf-war with Steam is bigger than just BlueByte Anno but, like any war, when the banksters, politicians and generals decide to go to battle it is the troops that take the hit.
however this dilemma also is expressed in the dissatisfaction many especially feel for the last version: Anno 2205. i know many will complain about the gameplay scenarios and functions but my main issue with Anno 2205 was: capitalism! we are visualing a human society 200 years into the future and still stuck in the mire of dog eat dog predatory capitalism glossed over with a techno sheen. Anno 2205 was basically old wine in new bottle and left me feeling empty at the end. furthermore, for a future based game scenario, we are still stuck using rocket propulsion technology with obsolete space shuttle vehicles. that is so ironic when there is ample disclosed evidence already showing that our MIC (military industrial complex) has already successfully developed (still heavily classified) electro-gravitic (anti-gravity) and even portal connected wormhole transport of vehicles and goods.
my criticism of capitalism is not to promote socialism/communism even though the Marxist meme seems to be the only available alternative placed before society via academia and media. capitalism and communism are the heads and tails of the same coin of materialism. what we need going forward is a social system balancing the individual/collective needs and aspirations — a revolutionary transformation in consciousness.
that is why i was more engaged in the Anno 2070 series, which, while not perfect in concept, at least made a worthy attempt to hightlight the polarization and survival challenges faced by humanity in our own near future, only 50 years from now. in contrast Anno 2205 gave us eye candy and rehashed the meme but no real progress in a future 200 years hence.
coming to Anno 1800, BlueByte has always seem to fare well with 20-20 hindsight in offering historical settings. at least 1800 is honest, it deals with the 19th Century, industrial revolution, prosperity and pollution, and shows the rebellion of workers and citizens, when needs are not met, in a big way. this is an honest portrayal of the last two centuries, really. even if it does not offer a final solution for humanity, BlueByte Anno 1800 gameplay gives us a rich gameplay experience of how things are right now.
i say “right now” because, returning to the main topic in this thread: even after 200 years of industrial revolution, it is still old wine in new bottles — we are debating the downside of BlueByte’s dependency on Big Brother Ubisoft and their questionable marketing whims.
The hate. If it is an Ubisoft game, the most normal thing is that it is available on Uplay (and that’s what I want since all my Anno games are there). Why bother about it to be on a different digital store?
I can tell you that you don’t want Steam to have the monopoly of the game industry, the pluralism is what makes companies competitive.
Omg peoples ! Stop making such a mess just because of Steam. It’s the first time you must play without Steam (the most expensive market by the way…) ? You all sound like little children that complain just because they need to complain about something. The worst are the people that say “I will refund Anno1800”, are you such little minded to make the part between BlueByte and Ubisoft ?! Think what you want about Ubisoft but let BlueByte out of this ! And if you really love Anno let it out of it too ! Anno is not about a platform, its way more… Buy it and stop throwing rocks on Anno. It’s a perfect game and I will not let anyone sink it for such little things !
If you are a real Anno fan, keep supporting BlueByte, they really deserve it.
It’s not about people being childish and have the urge to complain. It’s about steam having 47 million active people daily and 90 million monthly. It’s not just a platform, it’s the base and library for all of your games. It has been around for so long that it has features that neither Uplay or Epic games will be able to create. Valve has spent so much money on optimizing their platform that no other platform like it can compare. And one major thing that I see a lot of people miss is that Steam has a great support and network for mods, something Epic games do not. This will once again send people back to third party websites to find mods which is a set back.
That said,
BlueByte is no golden boy. A huge part of their fan-base, including me, have been F.ed countless of times when it comes to The Settlers series. The shitshow they call Settlers today is a mere joke to what it once was, even though fans have commented and told them what is wrong with it.
A Settlers 2 HD remake was made and then they stopped. Eventhough Settlers 3 remastered have been requested by countless fans for more than a decade – they don’t care. They release one after another being more and more non-settlers like. And I know they’re working on a new one, but I don’t dare getting excited nor do I look forward to it, because I’ve been let down too many times.
If you read this BlueByte; Cmon Blue, it’s been 21 years since your released Die Siedler 3, just make a remastered already.
HoLoDreaM44 I couldn’t agree more. Every time I see gamers whine about this and that, I’m reminded of my 6 yr old child who refuses to eat a meal because it’s on the wrong colored plate.
Entitlement mentality is a blight on society and it’s unfortunate when a vocal minority speaks like they speak for us all.
If something so trivial as not getting the game you want on the platform you want upsets you, you need to look into the mirror and find some true meaning to your life.
(BTW people complained just as much about steam when it was first launched).
it has nothing to do with entitlement. It has to do with a storefront client that has fewer features and less content, a client that comes with spyware, and because I would need to run two accounts, switch between them, not have my friends-list, no mod support, etc. until Epic improves, stops acting shady, and thinks of the consumer, they will not have the favor of a lot of people. Sure, Steam was no picnic at the start, but they weren’t siphoning info from its users like Epic is doing either. So if you think that enjoying a better product for what it is, wanting to stick with a platform that has your largest library of games, or valuing your free will to avoid spyware is childish entitlement… cool. Have fun at Epic. We meanwhile will probably just pirate it, and tell the devs how dumb it was to value the carrot-on-a-stick over its fanbase’s preference.
“look into the mirror and find some true meaning to your life.”
because sometimes there’s more than meets the eye.
what the fuck ubisoft
No Ubisoft No!! No! No! No! No!!!!! This is unacceptable business practice! I cannot believe that this has happened to ANNO! I’m outraged by this!!
I am in complete shock…..I can’t believe this happened….I was really looking forwards to the ANNO series returning….I absolutely loved the Anno 1800 Closed Beta. But now I am completely speechless…..I feel betrayed……that I feel like I can’t continue to play ANNO anymore after this. This is a tragic downfall for the series. I’m paralyzed from the shock that I’m getting from this……I am in complete disbelief….shame on you Ubisoft….
UBISOFT PLEASE HEAR US OUT AND LISTEN TO THE ANNO COMMUNITY STOP THIS AND DO THE RIGHT THING FOR THE ANNO SERIES!!
NEVER COME IN BETWEEN ANNO PLAYERS AND THEIR BELOVED GAME SERIES!!
ANNIONIANS DO NOT CONDONE NOR REPRESENT THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR NOR WILL THEY EVER ACCEPT IT OR ALLOW IT TO HAPPEN TO ANNO!!
ANNO IS A GAME THAT HAS BEEN AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN TRUE TO THE PLAYERS!!
A GAME SERIES THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A TRUE CLASSIC!
A GAME SERIES THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A TRUE WORK OF ART!
A GAME SERIES PEOPLE GREW UP WITH!
A GAME SERIES PEOPLE MADE GOOD MEMORIES WITH!
A GAME SERIES THAT HAS LIVED UP TO IT’S NAME!
A GAME SERIES WITH A STRONG REPUTATION!
A GAME SERIES WITH A STRONG HISTORY!
A GAME SERIES WITH A STRONG HEALTHY COMMUNITY!
A GAME SERIES THAT HAS BEEN RELIABLE!
A GAME SERIES THAT HAS BEEN VALIANT!
A GAME SERIES THAT HAS BEEN VERSATILE!
A GAME SERIES THAT HAS STOOD THE TESTS OF TIME!
A GAME SERIES THAT WOULD NEVER BETRAY THE PLAYERS LIKE THIS!
TRUE TO IT’S PLAYERS!! TRUE TO IT’S FAN BASE!! TRUE TO IT’S COMMUNITY!! FAIRNESS AND EQUALITY FOR ALL IS WHAT ANNO IS!!!
ANNO 1602, 1503, 1701, and 1404 are true classics. Prime examples of ANNO. They are true pioneers of ANNO. I never had a single complaint or issue about these games. Only fun memories, and fantastic classic experiences. As a player I want Anno 1800 to be the same success as the previous classic titles, to re-live the good old days of Anno!! To restore the series to it’s formal glory!! Anno 1800 has all the key elements to accomplish this!! Everything to meet that goal!! Don’t ruin it now after all this time and hard work!! Don’t put all the hard efforts in vein!! This is Anno’s chance to shine once more!! Make it shine!! Make it happen!!
In the ANNO community you will meet some of the nicest people in the world. ANNO IS A GAME AND COMMUNITY FOR THE PLAYERS!!!
ANNO IS ONE OF THE LAST TRUE GAME SERIES LEFT STANDING TO THIS VERY DAY!!
ANNO IS NOT MADE TO BE NOR IS IT MADE TO BE INVOLVED IN SUCH UNACCEPTABLE BUSINESS PRACTICES!!
ANNO HAS NEVER AND DOES NOT REPRESENT THESE KINDS OF UNACCEPTABLE BUSINESS PRACTICES AND ACTS!!
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO PLACE AND NEVER HAS BEEN ANY PLACE FOR ANNO TO BE IN THE HANDS OR TO EVEN PARTAKE IN THESE KINDS OF BUSINESS PRACTICES!!
LISTEN TO YOUR PLAYERS NOT THE MONEY!! ANNO WILL DO WELL IN ALL PLATFORMS AND ONLINE STORES DO NOT MAKE IT AN EXCLUSIVE IT WILL GIVE ANNO A BAD NAME TO IT’S REPUTATION!! THIS ACT CAN POTENTIALLY RUIN AND DAMAGE THE ANNO SERIES!!
I AM A LOYAL 20 YEAR VETERAN PLAYER (AND HUGE ANNO FAN) OF THE ANNO SERIES AND I AM COMPLETELY HORRIFIED TO SEE THIS HAPPEN TO ANNO!!
ANNO cannot suffer another loss like this. The previous title was a disaster (ANNO 2205). Just looking at ANNO 1800 in the past months, it looks like it will make a huge comeback, and a great return to the ANNO Series. It will inspire and welcome new players to join, and new faces to the community. ANNO 1800 will have the potential to be the ANNO game of the century. People where praising this game. But now after this decision from Ubisoft. Players are angry. Players are very unhappy with this poor decision. Ubisoft should listen to the ANNO community, the ANNO players, the ANNO UNION. Take this feedback seriously. Look at what’s going on. People are re-funding their pre-orders. And it’s only been 24 hours since the announcement from Ubisoft. Lot’s of people are leaving the game. If this continues, many more will before it even starts on April 16th. Listen to your players! Hear them out! Hear out the ANNO Community! PEOPLE ARE NO LONGER SUPPORTING THIS AND THEY ARE RIGHT TO! THIS IS TOXIC BUSINESS PRACTICE AND IT WILL HEAVILY DAMAGE THE ANNO SERIES IN A TIME IT CANNOT AFFORD TO TAKE SUCH A HIT!!
PEOPLE ARE RIGHT TO REFUSE THIS AND STAND IN SOLIDARITY AGAINST THIS DECISION FOR ANNO 1800 BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT ANNO WOULD NEVER REPRESENT OR CONDONE!!
My biggest concern as a player is that this might be it for ANNO. This one wrong move could end it all. It worries me deeply. The money being lost from the re-funding of pre-orders will hurt the game. It could most likely impact any near post launch DLC too, including any future post launch DLC months later if there ever will be any (the devs mention that they will support the game for a year or more which will depend on how well the game does post launch). Depending on how bad the damage will be from this poor act. It will effect sales of the game post launch as well. ANNO will suffer a loss from this hit. This could end up being the very last game of the series if things get any worse. BLUEBYTE SHOULD STEP UP AND TRY TO STOP UBISOFT FROM DOING THIS!! IT’S THEIR GAME!! THEY ARE THE DEVS OF ANNO!! THEY SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS AND QUICKLY!! THIS IS NOT A BUSINESS PRACTICE THAT ANNO SUPPORTS!! NOR DOES ANNO CONDONE!! NOR DOES ANNO REPRESENT!! NOR DOES THE ANNO COMMUNITY SUPPORT!! PLAYERS ARE SCREAMING NO TO THIS!! IT HAS TO STOP!! WE DON’T WANT ANNO TO BEFALL THIS FATE AND CONDONE THIS KIND OF ACT!!
Another big concern is that people say that Epic Games has toxic players. And members of the ANNO Community for sure do not want such toxic people in the community. Toxicity is not welcomed in the ANNO Community. I don’t want to see ANNO’s community become a cesspool. Not only would that be horrible…It would be horrifying…..and very damaging to ANNO. It will kill ANNO then. As I seen this very same toxicity kill previous games before. Seeing ANNO befall such a fate would be a complete tragedy.
ANNO IS A BEAUTIFUL GAME AND TRUE WORK OF ART THAT DESERVES THE BEST PLEASE KEEP IT THAT WAY!!
This is a smooth and wrong move on Ubisoft’s part. They should really think twice about this. There is still time before the launch to cancel this wrong decision. Though its unlikely that they will change anything, as this decision looks to be set in stone. Either way ANNO’s reputation will still be damaged. I will definitely never forget this. Ubisoft, you disappoint me. Shame on you!!
Ree!
Ree!!!!
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlI8r3nNUVw
Thanks to all of your complaining, I decided to buy the game on Epic Games store. EGS4LIFE!
Enjoy the spy/malware and the lack of features!
That’s really a bad move from your part
erm… wtf?
Pardon my language but are you guys retarded?
but I guess Thank you for atleast keeping the PRE-ORDER running… id rather get it on Steam than silly EGS…. I really dont need another f’n client to install just because.
this is just stupid really. but at the same time Valve really needs to change their business model already, as this is also getting annoying
Not a chance I’m getting another store/app! I will not buy it. And I will probably download it for free then (not done it for like 10 years!) Never in history of gaming anyone who didn’t listen to players survived.
Its like wit GoT when I wanted to pay for it but couldn’t and instead I had to have tv or package or f**ck knows what to watch it so I just downloaded it for free. Only recently HBO presented reasonable ways to watch it so I decided to pay. Now Ubi you’re not getting my money through Epic, sorry. And I’m telling you if you later change your mind due to low sales it’ll be too late as I will already have it for free!
one does not chop off the legs of a competitor to stand higher, one should rise higher on their own merits. in this case, in the spirit of further reach and to provide some worthy anti-monopoly competition, Ubisoft should give equal sales platform rights to any and all of its distribution clients.
IOW, whatever distribution terms Ubisoft offers via Uplay or Epic, should also be offered to Steam; and any other future viable distributor. let the customers choose their preferred channel, which will foster real quality competition and not potentially hinder or diminish the rating of a particular game product like Anno 1800.
i have been loyal to the Anno series since 1701 and was perturbed when Ubisoft took over from Anno 2070 because their servers reliability often left much in question. in this regard Uplay, itself, depending on Ubisoft server connectivity, has much to prove in its efforts to match Steam, too.
What a weird, stupid decision to be making 1 month before release.
There isnt actually any decent reason for this since there isnt actually any gainful reason to suddenly switch stores.
i mean great at least you respect those who bought it on their respective stores but that is the bare minimum. Had you forced everyone to use the egs i wouldve refunded because that really wouldve been a awful move
all this does is reinforce the crappy practice of paid exclusivity on a platform that hasnt had a need or desire for it.
great job.
I personally don’t care that you decide to go uplay and epic games exclusive. I think it’s a development that is good for the industry as a whole. Steam has a monopoly and it’s good that it’s being broken.
However doing a move like this less than a month before release is just disreputable.
And also potentially dangerous for the anno franchise let me explain:
(This part is pure speculation)
This seems like a move from Ubisoft and not BlueByte. Like any developer Blye Byte has a contract with Ubisoft to make a product and reach certain milestones with that product. X nr of games sold. Y score on metacritic etc.
This move to leave steam could have drastic consquences for these milestones and other contractual obligations. This move will affect sales and user scores. And I am afraid that Anno 1800 will now underperform in the eyes of Ubisoft. And when francishes underperform in the eyes of the publisher it ussually spells disaster. Anno 2205 was not the best of releases for Anno and if Anno 1800 also underperforms I dread to think what might happen.
All of this comming at a time when anno 1800 is heading in the right direction and recieving praise from all directions. People who never played anno game are excited. The old gaurd is excited to a see a return to form. I have been playing since 1602 and after the beta am thrillled for this release.
To conclude I hope this decision is taken into account when Ubisoft and Blue Byte review anno 1800’s performance. And that in the future decisions like these are taken before a title is announced.
Obviously you don’t care, but I’m out. Refund requested.
Fucking garbage, I was actually supporting this game and now I can’t without it being a shitty anti consumer exclusive. Good thing people are gonna pirate the game because you lost money and fans. Fuck you Ubisoft
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and another thing if the release date in the uplay store itself is 15/04/19 why who bought in steam will only be able to play on the 16th !?
Disgraceful decision. The reason why people love steam is specifically so we don’t need 80 launchers to launch a game. Keep the market free and open and do not hurt consumers with pointless exclusives.
I agree to have competition! but exclusivity is a cancer in the gaming industry! and repudiate it!
I wonder how they’ll sell the DLCs in Steam for an EGS-exlusive game? Or I got wrong the words about content availability?
And just like that I cancelled my pro order. Epic is cancer and so are you for supporting it 🙂
Ugh. I cant be as angry with you as i was with Phoenix Point, as your still selling on steam until release and still selling on Uplay, but still. Ugh.
Anyway, will future DLC be available on steam, or am i going to be forced one way or another?
Ignore the above. From the Anno 1800 Steam page:
“Notice: Sales of Anno 1800 will be discontinued on Steam after April 16th due to a publisher decision to make the game exclusive to another PC store.
The publisher has assured us that all prior sales of the game on Steam will be fulfilled on Steam, and Steam owners will be able to access the game and any future updates or DLC through Steam.
We apologize to Steam customers that were expecting it to be available for sale after the April 16th release date.”
That answers my question. Best of luck in destroying the PC community with your cooperation with Epic’s bad practices, Ubisoft. (Not you, Blue-Byte. Unless proven guilty…)
People in the comments should calm down.
This has nothing to do with game quality, the game stays the same.
You do not have to order through Epic, if you don’t like them. You can always order through UPlay, where the game will end up regardless of platform you chose.
I am not fond of exclusivity, but I understand that Steam has a monopoly and has in the past not provided good business practices to developers. Epic, regardless of what you think of them, is trying to break that monopoly. More competition is better for the consumer, that means you!
In the end “battle” between Epic and Steam will just improve both platforms.
the quality of this game is not the issue, except for 2205 all Anno’s are excellent games, the question is the cancer of exclusivity and even for a shop that is spying on its users! Do you know who it is for our personal data?
The problem with Epic is that its not competing with platform quality. So I cant see how Epic’s “competition” is going to make steam improve it’s store. At most, it will force Steam and GOG (which has been also affected by epic exclusives) to start implementing their own paid exclusives.
In this case we were lucky, as the game will also be avalibale thorugh Uplay (I had already preordered the Pioneer edition through Ubishop so I haven’t been affected by this) and will be available to purchase on steam until its release. But there have been cases of games that were announced for Steam (and sometimes also for GOG) that went to be Epic exclusives mere months or weeks before its release. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the availability of Anno 1800 on Steam until April 16 was related to the backlash suffered by Metro Exodus when they announced Steam preordering would be dissabled the day next to when they announced their Epic exclusivity deal.
Its a bad practice, and, as such, I think it should be criticised.
I was invited to play the closed beta and enjoyed it. This last minute decision to make the game exclusive to the epic store will make me wait until it’s available on steam. If it takes one year I will wait but I won’t accept these practices.
Shame on you it all started so well.
Absolutely disappointing to see Ubisoft supporting such an anti-consumer move. Putting your game on the Epic Store is great for giving people options, putting it on the store to the exclusion of Steam limits the consumer’s options and will only alienat your fans. I was really looking forward to this game but I might pass now. The shame is that this will still get them a lot of money because Epic bribed them with a bunch of money, guaranteeing that the game’s performance does not matter. We can only hope that enough shame and protest will make them reconsider this awful decision.
I had never played an Anno 1800 game, but it is the perfect example of a game I am interested in. I saw someone playing the beta on Twitch recently and was very excited for the release. Now instead of gaining a customer, you’ve lost one. I cannot condone this type of business practice. The game is set to release in 16 days and you’re pulling it from Steam? Unacceptable. I will never buy this game now.
I don’t understand some of the community reactions. I mean, what’s the point with Epic Game ? You want Anno ? You can buy it on Uplay, and you’ll have it…
Why the fact that it is sold (or not) on another platform could affect the fact you want Anno ? In France, Nutella is sold by, for exemple, Leclerc and Carrefour. If I don’t like for some reason, let’s say, Leclerc, I will buy it from Carrefour. And if Auchan stops selling it, I still will buy it from Carrefour, since I want Nutella, not Auchan/Leclerc/Carrefour. So could someone explain me what’s the point here please ?
The point is people don’t like big companies tricking them, and also they like to have everything in one place.
Let’s say that Auchan sells Nutella and bread, but carrefour sells only Nutella
And suddenly Ferrero announces that they no longer will sell Nutella in Auchan.
And suddenly, if you want to make yourself a Nutella sandwich, you’ll need to go to both Carrefour, and Auchan, while before you only had to go to Auchan.
Get it?
In the case you descirbed, I agree, in this case no.
Currently, Steam holds the monopoly on online game sales, monopolies are never good. Even though Steam has never really disappointed it’s clients (except developers), it will only be of the benefit to all of us if more players share that market.
The only way for Epic to gain market share is to make these exclusive deals (similarly as to say Sony being the only one to have Bloodborne on their console). Now Ubisoft, imo has at least given us the courtesy to buy their game through UPlay. So I do not really see the problem here for any consumer, whether they like Epic or not.
I agree with you, especially since you will be able to preorder it on Steam until 16th, and you can test it out for yourself between 12-14th.
But, humans are emotional creatures, and sometimes emotion can outweigh the logic.
Let me give you some logic. Steam is depended on game producers for their existence. If more and more game producers go away from Steam the platform will eventually die. A lot of people have a lot of games on Steam. How is Steam going to pay for their servers and services if all the game developers go away? What happens with all your games if Steam goes bankrupt because the big developers chose to boycot Steam?
Therefor it is important that games are sold on any platform that is willing to sell them. I don’t mind competition and if Ubisoft wants to sell their games on a thousand more platforms then go ahead. What they do now however is destroying a very nice platform that they used in the past to sell all their games. Customers who bought Ubisoft games on Steam are at the same time customers from Ubisoft. If Ubisoft is destroying Steam then they will hurt also their own customers.
I think it would be better if you just made the game an Uplay exclusive. Epic is promoting quite a toxic way of competition based on paying third party games not to appear on GOG nor Steam. I think games should be available on as most shops as possible, but I can understand the developers and investors of a game want to avoid to pay to intermediaries so i think that using your propietary shop is a legitimate way to do so.
I was really looking forward this game. Giving the previews and videos I have seen this seemed to be a fantastic Anno game again. But these practices make me reconsider it. I will not give any support for these practices and I wish I would not have gifted my Friend a copy already….
Really disappointing and I will not buy an Anno game ever again.
I really condemn this kind of marketing strategies Ubisoft (I’m pretty sure Blue Byte is not the one that came up with this idea) is implementing, because it gives a strong impression that the customer (or the quality their product for that sake) is not even close to their number 1 priority.
It clearly forces me as a seasoned Steam user to buy the game at the Uplay store to make my support for the Epic Games store as little as possible.
As the people at Ubisoft probably guessed more people like me think this way they know that sales within their own store will rise faster than in in the Epic Games store, who probably made a very lucrative deal for Ubisoft, which means Ubisoft is in a win-win position, while I predict that the sales via Epic Games store will be marginal (judging by their current target audience, who are more interested in Fortnite kind of games).
Especially sad (for me) is the fact that I was planning to pre-order the game, but was hesitant because of my disappointment in the last Anno title, and now it’s too late, while they were already selling it….
Sorry if this post is a little ‘edgy’, but I’m just really disappointed.
Just fyi, you can still preorder 1800 on Steam, and you’ll be able to do it up until April 16th. So if you want to test out the game before preordering it, you can do it during the Open Beta (12th-14th) and after playing it, you can decide if you want to preorder it on Steam.
To add to SKnight1233: You can also buy it on the UPlay store.
Thx, that makes it somehwat better. Should have read it better, when I saw the warning on Steam, but I just figured it would be the same text as posted at Metro Exodus. Should have read it (better). Still sad to see it leave the steam store though,
I’ll preorder on UPlay.
Honestly the best choice was always to buy Ubisoft games on Uplay,
update support isn’t great on steam for Ubi games no matter what they say and probably won’t be great on epic’s store also. And uplay is required anyway so why complicate things.
Is the Steam version getting achievements, trading cards, etc?
‘ll try to get the information as fast as possible
best,
MOD_Freeway
As I use Uplay I don’t care much about Steam or Epic Games Store. As long as I can use Uplay, everything will be fine.
I understand that this decision is about money, you get a better agreement with Epic Games than with Steam. I also think that you might just want to encourage players to buy the game on Uplay instead of Steam/Epic Games Store. As it won’t be available on Steam most people will buy it on Uplay as they don’t like Epic Games Store. However, there are also many people who won’t buy the game solely because of the fact that they don’t want to support Epic Games Store (or they buy games only on Steam).
This decision might be good in terms of money Ubisoft gets (you probably got money from Epic and it will cover the money that you lose due to many people who won’t buy it because of Epic and those who buy games only on Steam). However, I think it is a very bad decision in terms of Ubisoft’s public opinion. I might know little about gaming industry but I feel that nowadays the general opinion about a gaming company is quite important.
How is buying the game on Uplay supporting Epic in any way possible? Seriously, some of you just love the drama.
People have 2 weeks to decide if they want the game on Steam or not. After they can simply buy it on Uplay and be done with it. Moaning about the fact that it will be available on Epic after launch is just childish behavior, especially since they have options to avoid using Epic altogether.
“However, there are also many people who won’t buy the game solely because of the fact that THEY don’t want to support Epic Games Store (or they buy games only on Steam).”
I didn’t say that buying the game on Uplay supports Epic, I said that it’s what some other people think. I’m not trying to cause drama, I’m just sharing my honest opinion. I try to understand both sides of the “conflict” – gaming companies and players.
Some people won’t buy the game just because Ubisoft made this decision – to move the game from Steam to Epic. These people feel like paying Ubisoft for the game (even on Uplay) will support Epic because it will tell Ubisoft that they made a good decision – because they make money. So then more companies will make similar decisions thus supporting Epic.
I’m not moaning about Epic, I don’t care as I stated in the first sentence. I agree that people complaining so much about Epic behave in a childish way. But as it seems that quite a big group of players behave that way, companies should take their opinion into consideration – at least.
What a bunch of greedy and shameless bunch you are.
It’s never enough money is it? Screw all of this.
I bought the game on Uplay, so it does not affect me, but I can tell you this: I will NOT be recommending this game to anybody.
Epic Games Store is a cancer, and I’ll not support anything related to it.
Stop dividing the PC playerbase for profits.
How about you breathe for a second and stop getting so emotionally riled up. You sound like a spoiled child.
You have 2 weeks to decide if you want it on Steam or not, and in the meantime you’ll be able to play the open beta which should help you decide. After launch you can get it on Uplay if the other one is cancer. Nobody is forcing you to use Epic.
Stop overreacting for nothing.
Good thing I never asked about your opinion eh?
And who asked for your opinion in the first place? Even you said that it doesn’t affect you in any way.
Go be childish in the corner next time.
Hey Aelfur,
Thanks for your support and your comments. However, it is important to let people share their opinions or disappointment, as long as we are able to maintain a respectful and calm atmosphere.
Thanks again for your understanding.
Best,
MOD_Freeway
A game is a game. A gaming platform is a gaming platform. Not recommending the game because of the gaming platform? Makes no sense to me.
And Ubisoft is a company, their goal is to make money, if you don’t understand this then you don’t understand how modern world works.
And they aren’t dividing the playerbase in any way. It’s the playerbase that divides itself, many people go against each other and argue for the sake of “which company or gaming platform is better”. Just do what you feel is right, what you enjoy and be polite and understanding. If people were slightly more friendly and less selfish, the playerbase wouldn’t be divided.
I’m sorry. I don’t support the Epic Game launcher. While I Preordered on Steam. I did so because of that very fact. It was on Steam. If you are going to bait and switch you are going to lose a customer base fairly quickly. I know Steam has it’s short comings for everyone involved. But they are still the biggest distribution system around and as such most widely received. I think the term is Cutting off you nose to spite your face.
So what’s the problem? If you already got in on Steam then this won’t affect you in any way. Why are you moaning?
People have 2 weeks to decide if they want to get it on Steam, after which they can skip the Epic Store and get it on Uplay. Nobody is forcing anyone to get it on Epic.
Grow up already.
“Grow up already.”
What Moosie does is pretty much the exact definition of being a grown up. That also includes not just accepting everything but phrasing valid criticism (thats paraphrasing Immanuel Kant’s understanding of an educated person aswell, just to properly pay credit here).
Will we be able to access the Open Beta if we buy the game through Steam?
“Will the Open Beta be available on Steam?
The Open Beta will be available to all players through Uplay PC and Epic Games store.”
Pretty sure that it means you won’t be able to play the open beta through Steam. If Epic Store is so horrible, feel free to use the Uplay launcher, then use Steam after the launch to keep playing.
You don’t have to preorder the game to play the open beta, you just need to download it from Uplay or Epic, though i’d recommend Uplay over Epic.
You are shameful, especially as you said it wouldnt be.