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Recently, we sent ace intern Khloe Wilkerson to interview Manuel Reinher, Haye Anderson and Stephane Jankowski, the creators of Anno 117: Pax Romana, which was just released. It was Khloe’s first big, solo interview. We think Khloe aced it!

Khloe Wilkerson: Thank you so much for taking your time to talk with me today. My name is Khloe Wilkerson and I’ve been working with the New York Video Game Critics Circle for three years now. I’m really excited to dive into Anno 117: Pax Romana.

For those who may not know, it’s the newest entry into the Anno series, a city building strategy franchise, known for letting players manage economies, cultures, and politics. This time, the game takes us back to Ancient Rome, the earliest historical setting in the series. Players can choose to rule either the Roman Empire in Latium or the Celtic Kingdom in Albion. Every decision, from economic growth to political power shapes how the world responds.

So to start off, for the team, this is the first time going this far back into history. Did stepping into ancient Rome change the tone of what it means to be a builder in the Anno universe?

Manuel Reinher: So … it’s definitely a huge step. We know since decades that a lot of people, a lot of our fans, they really asked for this kind of setting. To do an Anno inspired by the antiquity, by the Roman Empire, and not only the fans, but also the team really wanted to do it, and we really felt now after 1800 this is the right time. We want to explore this.

And of course this has an impact also on some of the features that we wanted to show in the game, but also some of the details that we wanted to explore. Think about the different production chains, the food that you delivered to the people. 

So it has an impact on a lot of aspects of the game.

Khloe: For the next question, the phrase, “The cost of peace is yours to decide,” feels like an emotional core of the game. How early did this idea come about and how does it guide the players’ experience or even the marketing around it?

Haye Anderson: This is part of our value proposition that we put together. There’s a huge core mechanic in the game, a choice of impact that Manuel and his team has been working on. And we wanted to distill this down to make it have weight, but also kind of be something sticky for consumers.

And the cost of peace is yours to decide. You can wage war. We have military in the game. It’s optional or you can be more diplomatic and make friends and create trade alliances. And this is totally up to you as a player depending on how you want to play and what type of player you want to be.

Khloe: I like that concept, I’m curious to see how it ties into the gameplay. So Anno games are famous for rewarding optimization and planning. But in Anno 117, you’re governing people and cultures, not just production chains. How do you design systems that make players you like into leaders, not just managers?

Manuel Reinher: Very good question. One of the topics we identified while doing our research was the topic of Romanization, and it’s a big another choice that we wanted to have in the game (is) how did the Romans incorporate different cultures in their empire in the time after the conquest. And this is something we also wanted to let the player explore in this role as a Roman governor.

So you’re right, it’s not just about optimization, it’s also about how do you make people accept the Roman idea? How do you keep the emperor happy back home? How do you fill the empty coffers of all (and) still keeping your people happy. That’s something we really wanted to explore.

And it’s really core of the game and there’s a lot of options, a lot of features that are tied to this from the deities that you allow your people to worship to the big question, do you allow the traditional path for them still to remain? Or do you force Roman ambitions on them and really try to Romanize them and bring them as close as possible to Roman culture.

Khloe: I think that choice and concept would be really fascinating to see in gameplay.

Haye Anderson: And you guys made a really deliberate choice to have the players (play the) character of the governor—be a governor and not the emperor.

Manuel Reinher: Yes, exactly. So with the clear role of a governor, it really sets you into a nice construct of different elements because there’s still the emperor above you and there are people—your people – that you need to take care of. And this is really a nice position that has a lot of conflicts, potential conflicts, but also opportunities for you.

Khloe: The next question is, the choice between ruling Latium or Albion sounds huge. How different do those experiences actually feel? Is it just aesthetics or does the player’s philosophy really shape how the world responds to them?

Manuel Reinher: I think it’s the biggest contrast we ever managed to pull off in foreign Annos. I would say it’s really a striking contest, because Latium, which is inspired by Italy, really feels like a traditional Anno experience. So it’s warm, welcoming, inviting.

The steps to progress are somehow defined, more flexible than also the previous Annos, but there are certain residence tiers that they need to upgrade and go through. Albion, it’s really mystic. It’s a wild place. It’s a place no civilized Roman wants to be.

And the first thing that you were to recognize, of course, are the visuals and the sounds there. It feels alien, it’s wet, it’s misty, that’s different. But also it’s much more than that.

Also, we have a different playable biome, we have the marshland, which has some new building rules attached to it, and also the people that you meet there. The Celts, they also have different needs, they want to have different food, they want to have a different class, and this is then also really defined by your choice if you go the traditional, the Celtic route, or if you follow the Roman route.

Khloe: The series is known for strategy and economy, but Ancient Rome also involves culture, power, and politics. How do these sides show up in players’ choices?

Manuel Reinher: I think one of the central features is romanization, where we really highlight and embrace the different cultures of the Roman Empire. And you will find this aspect of Romanization if you go on a high level on the concept of the different problems that we really wanted to highlight.

So compared to previous Annos, this time, really, the provinces not only should feel different, but also you have the freedom to start in a different province. Which is a big thing for the Anno player, which means that if you are more interested in exploring Albion, you can ride away, explore it if you play the endless mode.

(You can choose between) Marcus and Marcia, two of our governors, and they will experience the story through their eyes and reflect on their story in different ways, and you will be guided through the different provinces getting contact with the different cultures and you will also ultimately make them some really bold choices on your path that are all really, very much tried together to the topic of culture.

Khloe: Rome’s history was written mostly by the victors. How does Anno 117 handle the voices of those who live under Roman rule, and what does that add to the player’s moral experience?

Manuel Reinher: I think in Anno, we have tools, or we have opportunities that go beyond the things that other games can do, because Anno—I mean, it’s all about fulfilling the needs of your people. 

You need to feed them, you need to make them happy, you need to care for them. And that’s something that allows us to tell a lot of small stories from the people in those provinces and in a way that other games cannot deliver.

We talk a lot internally about the topic. It’s unseen scale and detail that we can offer because you can manage a huge empire. You have a connected simulation. But on the other side, you see, we can tell these stories, these details like no other game—and I think it’s really a strength of Anno.

Stephane Jankowski: And something that we discovered during the research phase is that the Roman Empire at that time is so huge that it’s a blend of culture, a blend of different deities, religions, music, food, etc.

And all of this blends naturally throughout the great connections and the great trade routes that they have inside of the empire. And it created basically cities that are melting pots, and that was 2000 years ago, something that we think is something so modern that actually we discovered through the research that it was already the case back in the time.

Khloe: Okay, Roman history has both incredible achievements and harsh realities. How did you capture that duality without leading too much into either extreme?

Manuel Reinher: I mean here it helps that Anno is only inspired by history, so this allows for some cherry picking. I mean, usually in Anno, the tone is like I already said, it’s warm, it’s welcoming, it’s inviting. Still, we also have drama in the world and so we carefully try to create a world that is immersive, that is believable. Still, it’s based on or is very close to the historical accurate stories and facts that we defined. But we try to weave our own world, and this is something that also is very much appreciated by our fans.

But we have to be careful. For example, one of the advisors that we have also as a background, as a slave. It’s something we didn’t want to put super very much into focus. But we also didn’t want to shy away from this very important fact that the majority of the societies in ancient time were based on this (reality). That’s something we wanted to treat carefully and with respect, still without losing, let’s say the DNA of Anno, which is this warm welcoming world.

Haye Anderson: I think you guys do a really nice job balancing telling these stories and keeping it inspired, but without gamifying the really challenging parts of Rome, right? Like, we do not wish to profit or gamify the challenging parts of the Roman Empire. But they are a part of the story.

Khloe: You called yourself a “builder’s builder,” someone who builds the team that builds worlds. What’s something you’ve learned about leading creative people on a project that mixes so much history, imagination, and strategy?

Stephane Jankowski: Ooh, wonderful question. Thank you! So you have to know that I’ve been working in the gaming industry for almost 20 years now. I’ve seen a lot of different teams, a lot of different creative teams.

I’ve been working on Anno for three years now, almost four years, I think. It’s the first time that I see a team so passionate without quality. Like, they care about what they are doing, how they are doing the development of the game, what kind of stories they are telling, and what kind of characters they are building.

So it’s wonderful work for me to be there to support a team that wants to do their best job of their life, basically. It’s about creating the right conditions or about the right motivation for everyone so that people have a purpose in this team and to say, okay, I’m going to do something wonderful.

And magically, things happen and we have a wonderful game now and in our hands. 

Khloe: Your work focused a lot on connecting stories and players emotionally. What’s been the most exciting or challenging part of helping players care about the idea of peace, a concept that’s not just about war or victory.

Haye Anderson: When we talk about Anno as a brand, the enemy of Anno is mindless destruction.

And this means that our game and product is not going to be for everyone. And I’m really adamant that that’s okay, because we are here for the builders to cultivate the joy of building. And every trailer or piece of communication that we’ve created tries to communicate the joy of building.

And we do talk about the military, for sure, but also we consider peace just one element of the things you can build. Manuel talks about how you can build happiness, you can build alliances, trade roads, houses. So I try to show in anything we’re doing in marketing communication, what it means to actually build inside the game. Peace is just a part of … building alliances through the diplomacy feature or things like that.

The trailer we made for our reveal with the singing statues. This is totally an operatic fever dream. It’s bonkers! And it hasn’t really been done before like this.

So it’s also bringing that joy of building, the quality that Stephane is talking about, to kind of every piece of marketing material that we make.

Khloe: Okay! When players finish, Anno 117: Pax Romana, what do you hope stays with them, not just about Rome, but about the kind of leader they choose to be?

Manuel Reinher: So I hope they are proud. I hope they are also saying they feel fulfilled somehow because, for me, when I play Anno, it’s almost like raising a child. You start with a small empty island and then you start to explore something and you try to shape it.

You can try different ways in shaping this child, you can be the good leader, the bad leader, that you can do to shape your child. A lot of different ways and you see it growing and in the end it becomes a part of you.

And this is also something you see a lot with our fans. They spend hundreds of hours within their creation and that’s really something where I hope they feel fulfilled.

Stephane Jankowski: I think feeling a bit smarter also is something that you discover: historically-inspired things from the production chain, the reality of the different cultures, etc.

This is something that is real. We don’t invent that: it’s really something that comes from the past. You never finish Anno actually, there is no finished script. It doesn’t exist.

You feel a bit smarter, but I also think that you feel that you care more about people. Because at the end, playing Anno, is caring about your people, looking into what they need, how to fulfill their needs, creating the right conditions around them, so that they are happy, they can evolve, they can be better at what they are doing and they develop new needs.

Haye Anderson: I hope it transforms the way they see the world. It’s simple, but it’s a really lofty goal, because something like Anno, you are building harmony, building peace. And if only we could do that every day. You know?

Khloe: Yeah! Okay, so for my last question, if you could visit one place from Anno 117 in real life, one city, one port, or one province, where would you go and why?

Manuel Reinher: For me, it’s clearly Albion, because it’s this alien mystic place and I would love to get in contact with the locals there and to see what happens.

Haye Anderson: For me, it’s also totally Albion. Just this way of life, you know, with the aspect of birds, the bird hunters and the unique production chains and the ponies. This province is so alive, and it’s so unique and it’s so different….not to mention the rain, the craggy cliffs. It’s beautiful.

Stephane Jankowski: (For me, it’s about the) diverse culture that happened at that time. To have spices coming from east Asia, coming from the Silk Road, some deities being worshiped coming from Egypt, inside of the same temple that is worshiping another god from the Celtic-Galata.

This is mind blowing for me. This complexity of different cultures living all together at one place, at one moment. I would love to see that. That would be just incredibly crazy!

Khloe: Thank you all!