Having released Dawn of Discovery in 2009, German developer Related Designs is producing a follow-up to its city building / strategy game which shifts the timeline several centuries forward. Co-developed by The Settlers studio Blue Byte, Anno 2070 is due out on PC this year, promising some twists on the core mechanics of its predecessors as the result of its near-future setting.

Ubisoft says that the results of global climate change depicted in-game will require players to take advantage of "architectural breakthroughs" in order to grow their nations. By setting the title in the future, "the development team wasn't restricted by historical boundaries and was able to dream bigger than ever before."

You'd think eco-disasters would have put the kibosh on industrialization, but in fact, players will get to side with either the "pave the planet" Tycoons or the "the greener the better" Ecos from the outset. A third faction, one that can't be bothered to separate the recycling or install compact fluorescent light bulbs, was deemed too apathetic to make the cut.