How Biborg Built a Roman Multiverse for Ubisoft's Anno 117: Pax Romana Trailer

​Ubisoft’s highly anticipated sequel to Anno 1800 has launched. To celebrate the release, Biborg spoke with creative lead and partner Thomas Purbeck about how the team blended live action, CGI, and one incredibly versatile actor to capture the full spectrum of play styles in Anno 117: Pax Romana.

Q> How did you approach differentiating this trailer from the previous Anno 1800 launch?

Thomas> The biggest departure was our perspective. For Anno 1800, our focus was on the protagonist’s visionary mindset, something very much ‘in-world’. This time, we zoomed out and looked at the game as a game and the player as a player.

In terms of execution, the success of the early Anno 117 Town Crier trailers opened the door to live action and levity, whereas for 1800 we went full CGI and adopted a more sincere, aspirational tone.

So, creatively, visually and tonally, we were able to produce two very different trailers for two very different Annos.

Q> This trailer tells a story within a story — a rare approach in gaming ads. What led you to explore that narrative structure?

Thomas> The strategy for the trailer is based on a very simple idea: that everyplayer will build something that’s unique to them. It’s not just the Roman Empire you’re shaping; it’s your specific, idiosyncratic version of it.

By positioning Anno 117 as a fully realised Roman Empire fantasy generator, it gave us license to explore not just the game universe, but a player’s mind when given the keys to that universe.

Ultimately, we created a multiverse of Ancient Roman Governors but, by framing it as a Senate debate, we could keep the story within a story easy to follow. It’s fair to say that the decision to cast the same actor as every character did a lot of the heavy lifting. And that all the governors are called Marcus.

Q> The four governors each represent distinct ways of playing. How did you develop these characters, and what did they bring to the storytelling?

Thomas> Each governor is based on a classic Anno player archetype: the beauty builder, the warmonger, the min-maxer and the fantasist.

These archetypes led naturally to certain characteristics: Marcus Magnificus luxuriates in every word he says, Invictus is pushy and hawkish, Exactus is terse and efficient, and Romanus is essentially a Rome fanboy. He’s found himself in the middle of this grand Senate debate and loves it.

As each governor pitches ‘their’ empire to the player, they all believe they’re right. No one approach is better than the other, merely different. Polarising the characters brought a bit of friction to the debate, for comedic effect and to reinforce the message that there are as many ways to play the game as there are players.

Q> How did you balance cinematic storytelling with the need to showcase gameplay — something that’s always crucial in this kind of campaign?

Thomas> The way we structured the trailer meant that gameplay was always employed at the service of the concept rather than crammed in, in spite of it.

The gameplay moments give substance to each governor’s vision, while also demonstrating that all of these immaculate endgame cities are achievable within Anno 117.

Beyond what we actually see, all gameplay capture was choreographed to fit each governor’s style, so where the min-maxer’s gameplay is symmetrical, metronomic and precise, the beauty builder’s is sumptuous, flowing and bathed in sunlight.

Prospective players will always want to see what a game actually looks like but with this balance of live action and gameplay, we wanted to give them something more: the chance to recognise themselves in it.

Q> What was the collaboration like between Biborg, Mathematic, KWM and Ubisoft studios?

Thomas> Every team brought their expertise to the table, meaning it was a true collaboration where everyone’s skills were respected and built upon.

Mathematic’s mastery in direction and compositing opened up so many creative possibilities that pushed the production forward.

KWM captured gameplay that not only showed off the game at its brilliant best, but perfectly matched the vibe of each governor.

All Ubisoft studios were a joy to work with on this project, bringing audience insights, clarity about the game’s features and laser-focused feedback. I’d also like to thank them for sharing their wealth of knowledge regarding Latin grammar and the iconography of Roman haircuts.