The Settlers: New Allies
A reboot of The Settlers series with three factions.
The Settlers: New Allies is a real-time strategy and city-building game from Ubisoft Düsseldorf, published by Ubisoft. It reboots The Settlers series, offering three factions to play: the Elari, the Maru, and the Jorn. The game launched for Windows on February 17, 2023, and arrived on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on July 4, 2023.
In gameplay, players begin with a small crew and expand their settlement by gathering resources, building farms for food, and constructing military structures for attack and defense. It includes a campaign mode and a Skirmish mode supporting 1v1 or 2v2 multiplayer.
Development was first announced at Gamescom 2018, with Blue Byte using the Snowdrop Engine. Originally planned for a 2019 Windows release, it was delayed to the third quarter of 2020, then postponed indefinitely in July 2020, with preorders refunded. The game reappeared in January 2022, with a closed beta from January 20 to 24. Director Christian Hagedorn stated the team had to redesign the game because the original gameplay systems were too complex. A March 17, 2022 release was set, but after closed beta feedback, the team postponed it on March 3, 2022, saying the quality did not meet their vision. On November 28, 2022, the title was changed to The Settlers: New Allies, with a February 17, 2023 release date and console versions announced.
According to Metacritic, the game received "mixed or average reviews."
Quick Facts
- Title
- The Settlers: New Allies
- Developer
- Ubisoft Düsseldorf
- Publisher
- Ubisoft
- Director
- Christian Hagedorn · Nadim Affani
- Producer
- Christian Grünwald
- Designer
- Patricia Kamen · Sebastian Knietzsch · Denis Prause · Maximilian Stein
- Programmer
- Daniel Balster
- Artist
- Edgar Bittencourt
- Composer
- Chance Thomas
- Series
- The Settlers
- Engine
- Snowdrop
- Platforms
- Windows · Nintendo Switch · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5 · Xbox One · Xbox Series X/S
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Settlers: New Allies was formally announced at Gamescom 2018, with development by Blue Byte using the proprietary Snowdrop Engine. Originally slated for a 2019 release on Microsoft Windows, the game was rescheduled for the third quarter of 2020, but in July of that year its release was postponed indefinitely and preorders were refunded. The game resurfaced in January 2022, and a closed beta was held from January 20 to 24. According to director Christian Hagedorn, the team had to redesign the game because the original gameplay systems were overcomplicated. A release was scheduled for March 17, 2022, but due to feedback from the closed beta, the team postponed it again on March 3, 2022, stating the quality was not yet in line with their vision. On November 28, 2022, the game was retitled The Settlers: New Allies and announced for a February 17, 2023 release, along with console versions.
Reader's Guide
The Settlers: New Allies represents a return to the series' city-building roots, requiring players to start with a skeleton crew and grow settlements by collecting resources, building farms for food, and constructing military structures for offense and defense. The game includes a campaign mode and a Skirmish mode supporting 1v1 or 2v2 multiplayer. Its development was marked by multiple delays and a complete redesign after the original systems were deemed overcomplicated. The closed beta in January 2022 led to further postponement, reflecting the team's commitment to quality. The game received mixed or average reviews according to Metacritic, indicating a divisive reception among critics. Its significance lies in being a reboot of a long-running series, attempting to modernize the formula while retaining core mechanics, though the troubled development cycle and mixed critical response may affect its legacy within the real-time strategy genre.
Did You Know?
- The game was originally announced at Gamescom 2018 under the title The Settlers.
- Preorders were refunded after the game was postponed indefinitely in July 2020.
- The game was retitled The Settlers: New Allies on November 28, 2022.
More in Real-Time Strategy Games of the 2020s 1-19
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