Tame the Oxen in two special time-limited events

With the Lunar New Year celebrations kicking off as we welcome the Year of the Ox later this week, both World of Tanks and World of Tanks Blitz are unleashing two unique themed events to mark the occasion.

World of Tanks PC is introducing the Lunar Challenge, which will run from February 11^th through 21^st. This special event will see tankers test their skills with 10 stages which offer up great rewards. There will be two ways to complete each stage: missions for commitment (available for Tier VI-X vehicles) and the more challenging missions for mastery (exclusively for Tier IX-X).

For completing all 10 stages, players will get their hands on the tanking embodiment of the Ox, the brand-new 122 TM, as well as a unique Lunar New Year 2D style, which can adorn any vehicle. Additionally, tankers who have already got their hands on the 122 MT can take on daily missions; those who complete 8 of them will be rewarded with a stunning 3D style exclusively for the Chinese medium. For more information about the Lunar Challenge, please check the dedicated article.

World of Tanks Blitz is also getting in on the action with a special event that will run from February 10^th through 19^th. Lunar Rising is made up of 9 stages and players will need to win just once a day to get all the rewards, including collectible Lunar New Year items like the Red Lantern, Red Envelope, Mystic Knot and Lunar Ox. As well as all these items, players will be able to get their hands on a never-before-seen camo: Unexpectable. How unexpected!

Additionally, the Lunar New Year-themed Operation Lichun will be available in World of Tanks Blitz throughout February. Players will be able to get their hands on valuable in-game rewards, including a collection of special camos; those who take the Premium Pass route will get even more rewards and the Ox, a brand-new Tier VI Chinese medium tank. For more information about both Operation Lichun and Lunar Rising, please head to the official World of Tanks Blitz portal.

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About World of Tanks

World of Tanks is the first team-based, massively multiplayer online action game dedicated to armoured warfare. Throw yourself into the epic tank battles of World War II with gamers all over the world. Your arsenal includes over 600 armoured vehicles from 11 nations, carefully detailed with historical accuracy.

Official website: worldoftanks.com

About World of Tanks Blitz

World of Tanks Blitz is a cross-platform, free-to-play, team-based MMO action game dedicated to fierce tank combat. Available on iOS, macOS, Android, Windows 10, Steam, and Nintendo Switch, the game lets players control over 370 legendary armoured vehicles and boasts more than 137 million downloads worldwide. 

World of Tanks Blitz is a fun, lighthearted approach to the genre that bends the rules of reality, putting an engaging twist on tank combat. Deep mechanics and realistic physical models across both authentic and alternative historical settings combine to create fluid gameplay and tactical diversity.

Official website: wotblitz.com

About Wargaming

Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus. Operating since 1998, Wargaming has grown to become one of the leaders in the gaming industry with 5,500 employees and offices spread all over the world. Over 200 million players enjoy Wargaming’s titles across all major gaming platforms. Their flagship products include the massively popular free-to-play hit World of Tanks and the strategic naval action game World of Warships.

Official website: wargaming.com

Battle Vampiric Shadow Souls in a Reimagining of Japan’s Famous Akihabara District on Nintendo Switch^™, PlayStation^®4, and PC

TORRANCE, Calif. – Feb. 10, 2021 – XSEED Games, the independent-minded publishing brand of Marvelous USA, Inc., today announced a special retail Day 1 ”10^th Anniversary Edition” for the upcoming remaster of AKIBA’S TRIP, AKIBA’S TRIP: Hellbound & Debriefed (originally known as AKIBA’S TRIP Plus in Japan), coming to the Nintendo Switch™ system, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, and Windows PC this summer. The 10^th Anniversary Edition for the PS4™ system and Nintendo Switch will be available for pre-order shortly on the XSEED Games Store and participating retailers for a MSRP of $49.99. The standalone game will be sold digitally for $39.99.

First shown off at E3 2019, AKIBA’S TRIP: Hellbound & Debriefed has expanded its vampire-hunting action with a newly announced Nintendo Switch™ version and a more expansive visual update. Experience the acclaimed origin of the “strip action RPG” series in English for the very first time and return to the glittering streets of the golden age of the Akihabara district circa 2011. Dive into the seedy underworld lurking in the shadows of this haven of “otaku” culture to uncover a vast vampiric conspiracy. Expose their plans (and their bodies) to the light of day with advanced stripping techniques as a part of the self-styled  “Akiba Freedom Fighters” to make the streets safe for otakus once more.

The Day 1 “10^th Anniversary Edition” includes a retail copy of AKIBA’S TRIP: Hellbound & Debriefed on the PS4™ system or Nintendo Switch™, an art book with over 60 pages of newly commissioned art and original illustrations from both games in the series, and the official soundtrack containing 47 tracks across 2 CDs.

KEY FEATURES:

• Playful Reimagining of Japan’s Electronics Mecca –Take a virtual tour of the Akihabara district circa 2011 recreated in painstaking detail, complete with accurate street layouts and shops based on real businesses operating at the time.
• Fight Like a Nerd –Wield an arsenal of replicas, collectibles, and other amusing objects as you humiliate vampires into submission, all while wearing a stylish array of customizable clothes and costumes.
• Your Choices Matter –Choose which faction to support in the fight for Akihabara and watch as your decisions affect the course of the story, culminating in one of several different endings.
• Full Dual Audio –Enjoy hours of voiced-over banter with a choice of English or the original Japanese.

Developed by ACQUIRE Corp. and to be published for the Nintendo Switch™ system and PS4™ system in North America and globally on Windows PC by XSEED Games, AKIBA’S TRIP: Hellbound & Debriefed will launch in all available territories this summer. The retail Day 1 “10^th Anniversary Edition” of the game on the Nintendo Switch™ and PS4™ system will be available for pre-order shortly on the XSEED Games Store and participating retailers, and the standalone game will be available digitally on all platforms at launch. The title has been rated “M for Mature” by the ESRB for Nintendo Switch™, PS4™ system, and Windows PC.

More information about XSEED Games’ products can be found at www.xseedgames.com. Fans can also follow XSEED Games on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Twitch, get in depth info from their localization blog, and join the discussion on their Discord server at: http://discord.gg/XSEEDGames.

About XSEED Games

XSEED Games is the independent-minded publishing brand of Marvelous USA, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Marvelous Inc., which is a publicly traded company listed in the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Formed in 2004 and located in Torrance, California, XSEED Games publishes interactive entertainment content for PC and consoles from the Marvelous portfolio as well as from a wide variety of third-party partners. Whether it’s Marvelous properties such as STORY OF SEASONS (Bokujo Monogatari), SENRAN KAGURA, and Rune Factory, or third-party titles such as the Corpse Party and AKIBA’S TRIP series or Granblue Fantasy: Versus, XSEED Games has grown its reputation among gamers with its critically acclaimed localizations and commitment to fans, remaining ever dedicated to its “indie spirit, player-first” approach.

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SAN DIEGO – February 10, 2021 – Psyonix, the San Diego video game developer, and Ford announced that the Ford F-150 RLE (Rocket League Edition) bundle will be available in Rocket League beginning February 20 on all platforms! On top of being the presenting sponsor for all of the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) X Winter Majors, Ford and Psyonix are also introducing the Ford + Rocket League Freestyle Invitational, a brand-new competitive event featuring some of the best Rocket League freestylers as selected by Psyonix.

The Ford F-150 RLE bundle will be available in its own tab in the Item Shop and features the iconic Ford F-150 RLE, Ford F-150 RLE Wheels (standard and Special Edition), Ford F-150 RLE Boost, Ford F-150 RLE Engine Audio, Ford F-150 Player Banner, and Chairman Decal. The Ford F-150 RLE bundle will be available for 1500 Credits from February 20 until February 28. 

In addition, the Ford + Rocket League Freestyle Invitational will be introduced as a brand-new two-day event. Eight of the top Rocket League freestylers will compete and demonstrate their best freestyle moves to a panel of judges for a chance to win a real 2021 Ford F-150. The first day of competition will take place on February 24 and will conclude on February 28 ahead of the RLCS X North American Major Grand Finals live on Twitch. More information about the Ford + Rocket League Freestyle Invitational, such as the participants, judges and hosts, will be revealed at a later date.

To learn more about the Ford F-150 RLE bundle and the Ford + Rocket League Freestyle Invitational, please read the latest blog post HERE. 

ABOUT ROCKET LEAGUE
Winner or nominee of more than 150 “Game of the Year” awards,Rocket League is one of the most critically-acclaimed sports games of our generation. Rocket League is a high-powered hybrid of arcade-style soccer and vehicular mayhem with easy-to-understand controls and fluid, physics-driven competition. Available on Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on Epic Games Store, Rocket League includes nearly endless customization possibilities, a fully-featured offline season mode, multiple game types, casual and competitive online matches, and special “Mutators” that let you change the rules entirely.

To learn more about Rocket League, please visit www.RocketLeague.com, “Like” it on Facebook, and follow it on Twitter @RocketLeague for all the latest developer updates and news.

ABOUT PSYONIX™
Based in San Diego, CA, Psyonix is a critically-acclaimed video game developer and a leading expert in Unreal Engine technology. For more than 15 years, the studio has been a driving force behind some of the most successful games in the industry, including Gears of War, Mass Effect 3, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Bulletstorm, Unreal Tournament III, Unreal Tournament 2004, and the award-winning Sports-Action hit, Rocket League®.

© 2015-2021 Psyonix LLC. Rocket League, Psyonix, and all related marks and logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of Psyonix LLC. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

ABOUT FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification; mobility solutions, including self-driving services; and connected services.  Ford employs approximately 187,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit corporate.ford.com.

Firewall Zero Hour Developer and Global Publisher Perp Games, partner to bring Solaris Offworld Combat to physical retail.

First Contact Entertainment’s critically acclaimed sci-fi multiplayer VR shooter will have a physical edition release of the PSVR version.

London, UK, February 2021 – First Contact Entertainment and Perp Games are delighted to announce they are partnering to bring the critically acclaimed, Solaris Offworld Combat to physical retail, by ‘Spring 2021’.

Developed by VR Experts, First Contact Entertainment, and the team who brought youFirewall Zero Hour, Solaris Offworld Combat is a fast-paced, multiplayer shooter that drops you straight into intense action! Now thanks to the PSVR, you can take full advantage of the PS Aim Controller support and experience the highest level of immersion possible. 

Quote from Developers

‘We’re pleased to announce that we’ll be working with PSVR specialist Perp Games to bring you the boxed version of Solaris Offworld Combat. We know how great it feels to hold a game in your hands, and we can’t wait for all of our fans to grab a copy!”

“First Contact Entertainment is one of the leading VR studios, and it is a great honour to partner with them.” said Rob Edwards, Managing Director at Perp Games. “We were fortunate to play an early build of Solaris Offworld Combat last year and we were blown away by the focus on all out action and fun. We knew then that the age of immersive multiplayer VR gaming had begun.”   

Solaris Offworld Combat will be available globally on PlayStation VR from Spring 2021.

Links

Solaris Offworld Combat Facebook Solaris Offworld Combat Facebook Group
First Contact Entertainment Discord  First Contact Entertainment Discord
First Contact Entertainment Twitter First Contact Entertainment Twitter
Perp Games Website – www.perpgames.com
Perp Games Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/perpgames

About Perp Games

Perp Games is a global video games publisher, with a proud track record of publishing award-winning titles, exciting indie games and some of the world’s most recognized franchises, from the most talented studios. Perp Games is an established and recognised global force in entertainment, bringing extraordinary and exciting games to market, across multiple formats and media.

About First Contact Entertainment

First Contact Entertainment is a Video Game Development studio that specializes in VR content with an emphasis on Games as a Service. Our diverse team is made up of an amazing group of fresh and experienced developers with numerous years of experience working on AAA & Independent titles.

Our vision and goal is to always innovate on new technologies, create compelling games and experiences that are fun for everyone, and most importantly, to enjoy ourselves along the way.

We develop for Sony PSVR, Oculus, and Vive platforms using UE4. Welcome to the next generation of video game development!

PARIS — Feb. 9, 2021 — Necromunda: Underhive Wars, the turn-based strategy title inspired by Games Workshop’s iconic license, is expanding even further on February 16 with its second gang DLC for PlayStation®4, Xbox One and PC! Developer Rogue Factor and publisher Focus Home Interactive are excited to present the Cawdor gang, a ferocious cult of battle-hardened fanatics ready to convert and conquer the Underhive!

The Cawdor bring a fanatical bent to the action-packed, vertical shootouts of Necromunda: Underhive Wars’ single-player and multiplayer modes. Bound by their beliefs and forever hiding their faces behind elaborate masks, Cawdor zealots will shrug off blows that would seriously injure other fighters, maintaining their full battle capabilities even when grievously wounded.

Cawdor fighters allow for the same suite of heavy gameplay and cosmetic customization as all other gangs. Recruit, customize and build up your mysterious cultists with your choice of careers, perks, weapons, equipment, colors and more to create a truly unique and dangerous force!

The arrival of the Cawdor gang follows the recent release of the “Van Saar Gang” DLC and numerous major patches as part of Necromunda: Underhive Wars’ ongoing post-launch support. For more info, visit the game’s official website.

Redhill’s debut team shooter IP has secured over $30M in funding to date

HELSINKI – Feb. 10, 2021 – Redhill Games has announced the free open beta weekend for the team-based first-person shooter Nine to Five will run from February 11-14 on Steam. Kicking off tomorrow at 1pm ET/10am PT, the first public beta weekend will pit three teams of three against each other over three invigorating rounds with evolving objectives.

Set in a near-future where corporations rule everything and being a mercenary is just another job, Nine to Five is a shooter that’s as much about outsmarting your rivals as it is outgunning them. Matches develop over three phases, each influencing the next, forcing players to constantly adapt their strategy to win.

Redhill Games has secured over $30 million in financing over the past two years, with investment from Makers Fund, Play Ventures, and Redhill’s newest partner, Netease, plus backing from Kowloon Nights and Business Finland.

Players can sign up to be notified when the Nine to Five beta goes live on Steam and stay up to date on the latest developments at www.ninetofive.game.

About Redhill Games

Headquartered in Helsinki with multinational leadership and talent drawn from many of PC gaming’s top companies, Redhill Games was established in late 2018 with a core focus of creating high-quality titles that capitalize on the team’s extensive knowledge of free-to-play, games-as-a-service experiences. The studio employs over sixty talented developers from eighteen nationalities and continues to grow.

Ignite Your Passion with the We Love Games Sale on GOG.COM

• 2500+ deals up to 92% off • Highest discount yet on The Witcher 3

• Commander Keen Complete Pack now available

February 10th, 2021 – There will be many warm feelings exchanged this week, and we also have a small confession to make: we love games! And we believe that you do too! That’s why this special sale on GOG.COM is our love letter to this wonderful form of entertainment we all enjoy so much.

For starters, we have a surprise for you! During this sale, you can buy Cyberpunk 2077 for 10% off – the first official discount for the game! Fans of great games will also be pleased to hear that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Game of the Year Edition (-80%) has received its biggest discount yet. As always, when you buy CD PROJEKT RED games directly on GOG.COM, 100% of the money goes to the studio.

If you love classic games, make sure you don’t miss the Commander Keen Complete Pack (-70%) release on GOG.COM. It’s a unique collection of 5 platforming games that is sure to make your heart race!

With over 2,500 game deals up to 92% off, everyone will find a game (or two!) to help keep their heart’s full and their soul’s warm, even on these cold winter nights. Here are some of the lovely discounted titles available during the We Love Games sale:

• BioShock Infinite Complete Edition (-75%)
• CARRION (-33%)
• Control Ultimate Edition (-40%)
• Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition (-60%)
• Frostpunk (-66%)
• Journey to the Savage Planet (-40%)
• Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders (-50%)
• Mafia III Deluxe Edition (-66%)
• Metro Exodus (-60%)
• Pathfinder: Kingmaker – Imperial Edition Bundle (-35%)
• Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun (-80%)
• Shadow Warrior 2 (-80%)
• Stronghold Crusader 2 (-80%)
• The Outer Worlds (-75%)
• The Surge 1 & 2 – Dual Pack (-70%)
• Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York (-55%)
• XCOM 2 (-92%)

Also, there are a few game collections that deserve your attention for a passionate gaming date:

• Old love never fades with classic titles like Broken Sword 2: Remastered (-50%) and Heroes of Might and Magic 3: Complete (-75%).
• Play together with fun multiplayer games such as The Metronomicon (-80%) and Saints Row IV: Game of the Century Edition (-80%).
• For the love of gameswith fun, challenging titles like Life is Strange: Before the Storm  (-80%) and Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire (-50%).
• Bestsellerswith hits such as Children of Morta (-50%), Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (-75%), and Hitman: Absolution (-80%).

Share your love for games and grab some great gaming deals with the We Love Games Sale on GOG.COM until February 15th, 2021, at 2 PM UTC.

Gamification Turns Long and Tedious Safety and Conditional Texts into an Interactive and More Approachable Experience for Users

Helsinki, Finland — February 10, 2021 — Presenting at the European Commission’s annual Safer Internet Day yesterday, virtual and social games developer Sulake, and the makers of Habbo, (which was recently acquired by Azerion), detailed its findings on how to make those long and boring, but so very necessary terms & conditions agreements more palatable for a younger audience within the virtual social platform. 

Sulake’s challenge for the Youth Pledge is to empower young users in Habbo to make informed decisions when playing, by increasing the transparency and visibility of its terms & conditions agreements. T&C texts are almost universally arduous, tedious reads that are mildly scanned at best and, probably more typically, not read at all before ticking the “agree” box at the bottom. However the information contained in the terms & conditions is nevertheless extremely important in ensuring a safe, smooth and fun user experience in an online platform such as Habbo.

As a 20-year old product catering to a wide audience of players from adults all the way down to 13-year-olds, Habbo has a passionate and active community and Sulake frequently involves the community in making decisions about what they want and how they want to engage with the platform. Sulake started by organizing a focus group of users between 14 and 24 years old to first gather feedback about why the terms & conditions are for the most part ignored and set out to make a more interactive, interesting and simpler way of communicating this important information to users through gamifying the T&Cs and integrating it into the new user tutorial. 

“In our goal of contributing to universal internet safety and transparency with our community we wanted to involve young players in this process to give them a voice in how they want to receive this information,” said Raquel Alvarez, Customer Experience Director at Sulake. “Unsurprisingly our focus group found the T&C texts long, boring, complex and repetitive. What we have now is a hybrid of tutorial and T&Cs that feature some video features with a bit of gamification to increase engagement and transparency, as well as overall understanding of do’s and don’ts.” Raquel Alvarez presented these findings at Safer Internet Day 2021, a landmark event in the online safety calendar which started as an initiative of the EU SafeBorders project in 2004 and taken up by the Insafe network as one of its earliest actions in 2005. Safer Internet Day is now celebrated in approximately 170 countries worldwide to combat emerging online issues and concerns from cyberbullying, to social networking, to digital identity.

About Habbo & Sulake
Sulake is a social entertainment company focused on providing a safe and fun online service for self-expression through its games, Habbo and Hotel Hideaway. Sulake was founded in 2000 by a small team of passionate people and now after 20 years, Habbo is still one of the largest virtual communities in the world, reaching players all over the world each month. With paying customers in over 115 countries and over 850,000 active users a month, Habbo continues to be a hugely popular and globally recognised brand.

Welcome back to your hometown with the ANNO 1800 season 3 pass

Shine a new light on your city with harbour, tourism, and new businesses in the new season for Anno 1800

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — February 10, 2021 — Today, Ubisoft announced that Anno 1800™, is releasing a Season 3 Pass composed of 3 DLCs, “Docklands”, “Tourist Season”, “The High Life”, as well as 3 exclusive ornaments. The Season 3 Pass will invite players to discover harbour trades, tourism, and manage big city-building heights. Players will experience a new way of exporting and promoting their cities thanks to modular warehouse district, tour busses, and skyscrapers. The new season follows two successful years, which saw 1.7 million players around the globe at the end of 2020.

“Docklands” is the first DLC from Season 3, releasing on February 23, 2021. Anno fans will transform their city by building a modular warehouse district, starting with the main building, which is inspired by the world-famous “Speicherstadt” (the world’s largest warehouse district and an UNESCO World Heritage site in Hamburg, Germany). Docklands will also provide Anno 1800 with a new way of trading, allowing players to export rare goods and reinforce their economy. Alongside Captain Tobias Morris, who will be the link between the players and companies all over the world, players are given the possibility to encounter interesting exports and become a market leader.

Season 3 Pass will also introduce players to the tourism industry through “Tourist Season,” scheduled for Autumn 2021. Players, among others, will keep visitors entertained with enriching activities and delicious dishes from their best restaurants, while also setting up a tour bus network in their cities. “The High Life”, on the other hand, will teach Anno adepts how to manage a big city full of skyscrapers, and how to satisfy demanding citizens with new commercial goods and malls in Winter 2021. This will permit players to customise their Anno 1800’s Old World session with brand new elements, such as new monuments, hotel, restaurants, buildings, and malls to progress their city.

There will be two Anno 1800 Year 3 Editions, available as of today:

• Complete Edition Year 3: Features main game, Deluxe pack, and all 3 season passes
• Gold Edition Year 3: Features main game, Deluxe pack, and Season 3 Pass

These will be available, replacing the old editions.  In addition to the three DLCs, Anno 1800 will receive free Game Updates to accompany each DLC release, which will focus on improving the gaming experience.

Developed by Ubisoft Mainz, Anno 1800 has allowed players to evolve and gain new skills as a ruler. Players can create their cities –big or small — plan efficient logistics networks, settle new continents, send out global expeditions, and dominate their opponents by diplomacy, trade, warfare, and new tourist attractions. The Anno 1800 post-launch plan offers new adventures, challenges and tools to the players to sharpen their skills and succeed in Anno’s world. In addition to the Season Pass 3 content, regular updates are bringing new free content to all players.

Since its creation, Anno 1800 has been dedicated to incorporating the Anno community into its thinking process.  Players have been solicited to take part in the creation and the development of the game by giving feedback through the Anno Union. Once again, players will be requested to decide on what cosmetic DLC they want. This collaboration between players and the studio is integral to the development team to create the best fitted game for its fans. Providing Anno community with the most customised and pleasant game possible, satisfying both players who enjoy the strategic aspect of Anno and those keener on the beauty aspect, is an important task for Anno team.

Anno is available on the Ubisoft Store and Epic Games store for Windows PC. Season Pass 3 will be available for AU$29.95.

For more information about Anno, please visit: https://www.ubisoft.com/en-au/game/anno/1800

To join Anno Union, please visit: https://www.anno-union.com/

About Ubisoft Mainz:

The teams at Ubisoft Mainz are engineering Ubisoft’s biggest blockbusters. Operating from a historic city in the heartland of Germany, the studio develops genre pushing games like the acclaimed Anno 1800 and lends decades of expertise to AAA co-development projects like Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege and the upcoming Beyond Good And Evil 2. More information at mainz.ubisoft.com.

About Ubisoft:

Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman, Far Cry and Watch Dogs. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2018–19 fiscal year Ubisoft generated Net Bookings of €2,029 million. To learn more, please visit ubisoft.com.

© 2018–2019 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Anno, Ubisoft, and the Ubisoft logo are registered or unregistered trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries