Sunflowers Interactive Entertainment Software GmbH was founded in 1993 by Adi Boiko and Wilhelm Hamrozi, and was based in Heusenstamm, Germany. The company was best known for creating and publishing the Anno series of real-time strategy games. In December 2001, Sunflowers Interactive struck a four-year exclusivity deal with Bulgarian developer Black Sea Studios, which resulted in Knights of Honor (2004). In March 2002, the company dismantled their entire internal development studio, shifting their focus onto third-party publishing. To do so, they acquired a 30% stake in Berlin-based studio Spieleentwicklungskombinat. Sunflowers Interactive furthermore signed a contract with Aspyr in August 2006, which gained them wider distribution of their games in North America. Ubisoft announced on 11 April 2007 that they had acquired Sunflowers Interactive and the Anno series, of which the company would be merged into Ubisoft’s own distribution arm. Co-founder Boiko stated that he was satisfied with the acquisition, knowing that Ubisoft and Related Designs would be creating “something amazing”. However, both Boiko and Hamrozi stated that they did not want to work for Ubisoft, and planned to establish a new venture instead.

Reference: Wikipedia