It’s August and that means gamescom in Cologne is just around the corner. Time to tell you in some more detail what you can expect at the convention in about 3 weeks and update you on some other news around Anno 117: Pax Romana.

Closed Beta

The Closed Beta for Anno 117: Pax Romana took place in mid-July and we want to once again say “thank you” to everyone who participated and shared their feedback with us.

Just please keep in mind that the playtest was under NDA, meaning, anything you’ve played and experienced must only be shared on the dedicated Discord server or the survey you were sent.

If you haven’t been able to participate in the Closed Beta: don’t worry. This won’t have been the last hands-on opportunity.

And, we’ll of course share far more about the game with you in the coming weeks and months. Starting with…. gamescom!

Community Event

A few weeks ago we opened registrations for this year’s Anno Community Event that will take place on August 20th at gamescom.

From all registrations, participants were drawn at random and received an invitation via email earlier this week, on Monday. Please check your inboxes and get back to us until end-of-week if you’re able to attend.

In case of declined invitations, we will send out another round of invites to fill the slots we have for the event.

Gamescom Overview

There’s far more for Anno 117: Pax Romana at gamescom this year than only the Community Event, however!

We’re offering you a full Anno experience at our booth:

• Get your hands on the game and discover both the provinces Albion and Latium!
• Take some photos with our Anno booth as backdrop or next to one of the giant statues we found in ancient temples in Mainz and brought to gamescom.

In addition, directly next to it in the Ubisoft Community Corner, you can meet us and join various presentations and panels on Anno 117: Pax Romana.

Learn more about the province of Albion at the border of the Empire and the challenges and decisions you’ll be facing as a governor – and use the opportunity to ask us your questions.

Panels will be held multiple times each day from Thursday (21st) until Sunday (24th), no registration required (but seats are limited for each session). The full schedule for the week will be posted here on the Anno Union closer to gamescom.

History Hit Podcast

Can’t get enough of of the historical period of the Pax Romana which inspired our game? Then check out the first of several episodes of the “Echoes of History” podcast in collaboration with History Hit: Episode 1 – What is Pax Romana?

But what does “Pax Romana” mean? Was this really a peaceful period in history? Or have we misunderstood its meaning for centuries? Dr Hannah Cornwell helps Matt Lewis with this classic puzzle.

Community Spotlight: Anno 1602 to Minecraft Converter

A short Community Spotlight this time but we really wanted to share this one:

Over on Reddit, Pretty_Tie3781 shared their current project: a program that converts your Anno 1602 islands into Minecraft!

They are still looking for some contributors that help recreating the remaining Anno 1602 buildings in Minecraft. If that sounds like something you might be interested in, why not reach out?