It was released on 17 November 2011, and was co-developed by the German studios Related Designs and Blue Byte, and published by Ubisoft.

Anno 2070 required Uplay to operate as an always online DRM System, later removed for receiving severe criticism from players.

Responsibility for settling and exploiting these new frontiers is given to a select group of people, who captain mobile ocean-going bases known as Arks.

In Anno 2070, politics are no longer defined by countries, boundaries, religions, races, etc., but how humans choose to produce energy.

Participation will give different effects to all players, depending on who is president or what bill was passed, until the next cycle of voting begins.

Players can customize their Ark to fit personal preference, which is only for aesthetics, as well as gaining special rewards that affect gameplay.

[6] In 2012, Ubisoft decided to release a universal patch removing the online only DRM from several games including Anno 2070.

[8] The first DLC packs were released on 13 February 2012: Three DLC packs were added on 26 March, these with a Tycoon theme in contrast to the previous Eco-themed DLCs: Three DLC packs were added with the new World Event The Nordamark Conflict: In October 2012, Ubisoft published an expansion to the game called Deep Ocean, which adds a new civilization level for the tech faction and new resources and products to satisfy that faction's new needs.