Ubisoft’s classic Anno games are getting a legacy-preserving update

Few games last more than a few years when it comes to franchise-building and establishing a legacy, but the Anno series is one of those rare exceptions that has earned itself a spot in the video game hall of fame. With the first game being launched more than two decades ago, Anno’s particular flavour of city-building and management has built up a dedicated fan following who treasure every single entry in that line of metropolitan strategy.

There’s value in each one, and while newer Anno games may have features that the older ones lack, that doesn’t diminish their quality or heritage at all. That’s the key word right there: Heritage. While you can get your hands on the older games from various sources and take them for a spin with a quick workaround, there’s no denying that the older generation of PC gaming didn’t plan for Anno to thrive on newer systems that would create a potential danger of incompatibility.

Ubisoft is looking to sidestep that threat, with a new premium release of the Anno games that chucks in a whole bunch of new future-proofing features. Called the Anno History Collection, that compilation packs together the first four games in the series and their expansions:

• Anno 1602 and its expansion New Islands, New Adventure,
• Anno 1503 and its expansion Treasures, Monsters & Pirates,
• Anno 1701 and its expansion The Sunken Dragon,
• Anno 1404 and its expansion Venice.

Ubisoft says that this collection will support up to 4K visuals, will allow all the games to run at 64-bit with improved performance and stability , has full Uplay multiplayer with desync recovery and is compatible with old saves. It will of course cost you a few bucks, (forty of the American ones to be precise), with the games also being sold individually in case you’re thirsty for a particular drink of nostalgia.

Anno 1602 and Anno 1503 will be popping up on the Uplay store, while Anno 1701 will be seen there and on the Epic Games Store. Anno 1404 completes the collection, with a release on Uplay, EGS and Steam, with the entire collection going up for sale on June 25. Also if you’re keen to play a drinking game, have a shot every time I mention Anno in this post.