Ubisoft Mainz: The Studio Behind Anno Celebrates 30 Years of Innovation

GamesMarkt: First of all, congratulations to Ubisoft Mainz (formerly Related Designs) on reaching 30 years of business. Very few companies in this industry manage to achieve this milestone. Could you have imagined back then just how big and important the company would become?

Thomas Pottkämper: "It all started with four friends in their mid-twenties being passionate about creating video games. Compared to today, the market for computer and video games was much smaller and there weren't many development studios around, especially in Germany. When we started working on our first small games, we saw it more as a good extra income to finance our studies. None of us would ever have guessed that decades later, we would celebrate our 30th anniversary and that Anno would be loved by millions of fans around the globe."

GamesMarkt: What are you most proud of in the company's long history? Is there something special you can pick out?

Thomas Pottkämper: "The release of Anno 1701 marked a special milestone for us. Although our studio had already been active for a few years, it wasn’t until we stood on stage at the German Developer Award to accept multiple honors that I fully grasped the potential of what we were building.

I experienced a similar sense of breakthrough with Anno 1800. On release day, we gathered in front of the screens at the studio and watched in real time as player numbers soared—not just in Germany, but across the globe, including the United States and even China.

But what continues to make me proud is that so many of our employees have remained loyal to us over such a long period of time. From our humble beginnings, we have built up an outstanding international team in which veterans from the past work hand in hand with newcomers."

GamesMarkt: How exactly did Related Designs manage to develop new games in the Anno franchise? What came together to make this possible?

Thomas Pottkämper: "In the beginning, we worked mostly on smaller advertising games, before moving on to more elaborate projects. However, we were particularly taken with 3D real-time strategy games, such as America: No Peace Beyond the Line and Castle Strike, with which we celebrated our first major successes. Said expertise was also the key in bringing the Anno brand to Mainz. The predecessors of the series were originally developed in 2D by the Austrian developer Max Design, but as the third part of the series was to be developed in 3D, the publisher at the time, Sunflowers, needed a studio with the appropriate technical know-how. The rest is history."

Related Designs started out by advertising games for products such as toothpaste ("Aro and Elmi fight the bacteria gang") and sweets ("Toffifee Fantasy Forest") before making a name for itself in the early 2000s with real-time strategy games such as America, No Man's Land and Castle Strike. Since the release of Anno 1701, the third instalment of the popular city-building strategy series, all subsequent instalments have been developed in Mainz. The latest game in the franchise, Anno 1800, was released in 2019 and has since attracted more than 5 million players worldwide. Anno 117: Pax Romana is scheduled for release on 13 November 2025.

GamesMarkt: How important is the Anno franchise for the studio? After all, the monumental nature aka "Monumentalität" of Anno 1701, a term that was used very frequently during the game's presentation, marked the beginning of an unprecedented success story ...

Thomas Pottkämper: "The Anno series has always been an integral part of our studio’s identity, rooted in our origins in the strategy genre. For each successive game in the series, we've consistently stayed true to our guiding principle: advancing step by step into the future, nurturing our talent, deepening our technical expertise, and keeping a sharp focus on the quality of our games.

Anno 117: Pax Romana continues this tradition. Building on the strengths of Anno 1800, we’re taking the series further with everything we've learned since. I strongly believe that our strong focus on the series and the exceptional team we build around it is the reason for our ongoing success."

GamesMarkt: Ubisoft acquired Related Designs in 2013. How did that come about, and what are your reflections on the last twelve years?

Thomas Pottkämper: "The huge international success of Anno 1701 in 2006 did not go unnoticed by Ubisoft and marked the beginning of a successful partnership for us and in 2007, Ubisoft took over the German Publisher Sunflowers which included a 30% share in Related Designs. After the next two major Anno titles, 1404 and 2070, the Mainz studio was finally fully integrated into Ubisoft in 2013. First as Ubisoft Blue Byte - Studio Mainz and later Ubisoft Mainz."

GamesMarkt: Did this takeover lay the foundations for the studio's continued existence?

Thomas Pottkämper: "The acquisition by Ubisoft made us benefit from the infrastructure of a global network of development studios but also provided us with the resources to invest in the growth of the studio and the Anno franchise, for which we are the lead studio. But it also enabled us to have dedicated teams working collaboratively with lead studios of other big Ubisoft brands, such as Rainbow Six Siege, or contribute to the development of internal tech solutions for the company. This gives us not only stability but provides us with a lot of experience and attracts further talent to the studio."

GamesMarkt: Could you estimate how many people work at Ubisoft Mainz? It doesn't have to be exact; just give a rough idea of the size. How many people are working on Anno 117, for example?

Thomas Pottkämper: "Around 170 employees from over 25 nations work at Ubisoft Mainz. While about 100 of them work on the Anno brand, we have also around 50 developers working on other major Ubisoft brands and technology solutions. Additional team members support operational departments such as IT and Human Resources."

GamesMarkt: Ubisoft Mainz works not only on the Anno franchise, but also on other Ubisoft games. Could you tell us a little about what you are working on, and how the team is involved in global development processes?

Thomas Pottkämper: "Contributing to major Ubisoft brands is highly valuable to us, as it serves as a strong incentive for international talent to join us in Mainz, and we greatly benefit from the exchange of technology and knowledge across projects. For instance, we have a dedicated team working on different areas for Rainbow Six Siege X. Our second major co-development team is contributing to significant features for Beyond Good and Evil 2 - though I can’t share any details about that just yet."

GamesMarkt: Ubisoft Mainz is a major employer in the region. Which aspects are particularly important to Ubisoft Mainz as an employer?

Thomas Pottkämper: "Ubisoft provides the big-picture but here in the Ubisoft Mainz studio, we bring our local flavor to the mix, while still being part of the global team.

Creating great games can only happen if people feel supported and included. Our team is international, and that mix of backgrounds and perspectives shapes how we work on our diverse portfolio of projects and range of audiences.

We're working to be more inclusive, cut down on our environmental impact, and stay connected with educational institutions or the local industry. These aren't just top-down initiatives either; people here take the lead through local employee initiatives, whether it’s through our PRIDE group, mentoring programs like "Develop at Ubisoft", "Girl's Day" or local support groups.

With our long-lasting history as a game developer, we see it as part of our responsibility to give something back to our industry but also to the region."

Related Designs was established in January 1995. Ubisoft acquired Sunflowers and their 30% stake in Related Designs in 2007. Ubisoft took full control of the studio in April 2013. It has operated as Ubisoft Mainz since June 2014, as part of Ubisoft Blue Byte. Three of the four founders of Related Designs still work at Ubisoft Mainz.

GamesMarkt: How would you assess the local gaming industry in Mainz and the surrounding area? What role does Ubisoft Mainz play in all this?

Thomas Pottkämper: "We believe that those social initiatives mentioned are essential for strengthening the local games industry. Our studio has been around for 30 years now, and we’ve seen the games industry evolve a lot over time. Established players like Kalypso Media, Crytek, and Keen Games have been part of the landscape for years, but we've also seen a rise in new studios founded by graduates from game design programs in the Rhein-Main region.

Public initiatives like Game-Up RLP are doing great work helping these newcomers connect with the broader business community, and we bring in our expertise to help grow the local gaming landscape."

GamesMarkt: What further support for the German games industry would you like to see from politicians in Germany, both locally in Rhineland-Palatinate and at a federal level?

Thomas Pottkämper: "The announcement of the federal budget plan is a real relief for our industry. The German games sector has had a rough ride for years, first dealing with a lack of competitive funding, then struggling with an unreliable process. Now, things finally are turning around, and we see a level playing field at the federal level.

Five years ago, Rhineland-Palatinate launched its first media fund. When it comes to games, it's still early days, though parliament did double the budget last year, which is a great step forward. What we need to see is a good combination of federal and state funds working together, serving the specific requests of established and new studios.

Locally, we must remember that we're part of an ecosystem. Rhineland-Palatinate is home to five universities offering game-related programs, which are great for bringing fresh talent into the field. But the big question is: where do these students end up? Do they stay in the games industry? Do they stay in Germany, or even in the region?

Together with policy makers and public institutions we need to build up a strong value chain, from vocational training, studies, research, entrepreneurship and funding, so we can support high-quality game development and publishing right here."

GamesMarkt: For Anno, the future lies in the past (117). But where do you see Ubisoft Mainz in the future? For example, what will the company be like on its 40th anniversary?

Thomas Pottkämper: "Considering that Anno 1800 was the biggest and most successful installment of the series to date, which has continued to provide our fans with content for five years after its release, we naturally see our future in the Anno series. With Anno 117: Pax Romana, our goal is not only to build on the success of Anno 1800 but also to reach a more international audience and expand the brand beyond video games into other forms of media. As example there will be a fictional podcast-series 'Der Römische Traum – Eine Anno Story' created by SWR. Looking ahead, we want to continue our collaboration with other projects in the global Ubisoft network, but I could also envision taking the lead on another Ubisoft brand in the future."