UBISOFT
The marketing character who won over a fanbase and earned his place in the game.
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Anno is a 25-year-old franchise, and for decades, fans have been asking for a Rome-themed setting. We needed to galvanize the community with a big announcement, but we had no game footage to show.
That's how the Town Crier was born. A fictional Roman character, created to deliver the news the ancient way, with scrolls and a loud voice. He was only ever meant to be a marketing character. The fans had other plans.
The Town Crier's first job was to honor the fans who saw it coming.
We dug through years of internet comments and found 117 of them — one for each year of the game's title — who had correctly predicted the Roman setting. He delivered the news of the empire and honored each one in the Scroll of Fame, with custom videos across YouTube, Reddit, Discord and X.
Next, he appeared in a teaser. With no gameplay to show. Just the empty Roman landscapes players would soon shape into provinces of their own. His voice guided them into this new era, inviting gamers to build.
The teaser campaign spread entirely through fan love. No media budget. Just the internet doing what it does when it finds something it cares about.
The more he appeared, the more fans asked for him. He showed up in memes, Twitch chats, and Reddit threads.
So we brought him back in the release trailer. This time with gameplay and a proper spotlight on the Roman world he helped announce.
Then the fans started asking for something bigger: to put him in the game.
Comments turned into petitions. Petitions turned into pressure. And eventually, Ubisoft said yes.
What started as a campaign character became a community favorite. And in the end, this loud, loyal messenger earned his place in the world he once announced.
That's how a marketing character became part of the franchise itself.
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Agency: Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam
CCO: Susan Hoffman
CDs: Ramona Todoca, Edouard Olhagaray
Art Director: Güney Soykan, Juliana Miguéis
Copywriter: Aditya Hariharan
Director: Thomas Ormonde (teaser), Matemade (The Scroll of Fame)
Production: ProdCo., Matemade
VFX: Blackkite
Editor: Jonnie Scarlett / The Quarry
Music: MassiveMusic & Friday
Designers: Lewis Beedham, Shen Hou
Motion Design: Sohyeon Nam, Lewis Beedham
Producers (Agency): Caroline Hagoort, Salt Ibraeva
Planning Director: Audrey Bühler
Planner: Odile Song
Comms Planning: Cristelle Fornesi, Anna Chan
Account: Andrea Aangeenbrug, Tiphanie Murat, Allie Bottinelli
Awards
D&AD - Gaming & Virtual Worlds: Wood Pencil
Clio Entertainment - Trailer: Silver
One Show - Gaming: Shortlist
NYX Game Awards - Game Advertising: Silver