Fans of the Anno strategy series are in for a real treat. Ubisoft has announced that a handful of older Anno titles will be getting a 4K remaster for PC very soon. Dubbed the Anno History Collection, this compilation package will include Anno 1602, 1503, 1701, and 1404 with reworked textures, UI elements, and modern operating system support.
The awkward listing of those games is mainly because of Ubisoft’s strange historical shifting. Anno has never followed a linear path through history. In fact, the latest installment, Anno 1800, came out after 2070 and 2205. It’s a little tough to keep up with where this series is going, but it’s fun all the same.
The announcement trailer for History Collection is incredibly light on actual information. It promises save file compatibility with the original versions and mentions 4K support, but that’s really it. We’re not entirely sure if this is a remaster in the vein of Age of Empires: Definitive Editionor something like a remake running on Anno 1800’s engine. It appears to be the former.
Beyond graphical differences, Ubisoft has confirmed that multiplayer will be a part of the package. As PC Gamer notes, Anno 1503 never officially included a multiplayer component. That will make this re-release a bit more substantial in terms of gameplay additions.
In a truly bizarre move, not all of the titles included in this collection will be available on every digital distribution store. Ubisoft really wants you to switch over to Uplay since a complete bundle will be offered there. Steam will be getting Anno 1404 History Edition, Epic will house 1404 and 1701, and GOG seems to be keeping the original versions up for sale. That’s…not exactly convenient.
Uplay has come a long way since its initial launch, at least. It may not be the most fully-featured game launcher, but buying titles through both Steam and Epic requires Uplay to be installed anyway. You cannot avoid it if you intend to play a Ubisoft game on PC. It’s still strange to not see these games available on all stores, but I suppose that’s the price one will have to pay to revisit these gems.
Source: YouTube
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