Firaxis announces next Civilization game is in development

Wasn’t built in a day

Firaxis has announced by way of Twitter that development has started on the next entry in the Civilization series. The last entry, Civilization VI, launched back – holy crap – in 2016. Despite this, it’s still receiving DLC, with its Leader Pass still dropping new content.

That’s all we’ve got so far, so here are some facts.

The Civilization series started way back in 1991. A new one being announced at this time isn’t a huge surprise, as new entries have been dropping like clockwork every 5-6 years. Each time, I can’t help but wonder what you could possibly add to the previous title to make it a new experience, and it’s always just enough to make it worth it. The biggest change was perhaps the series’ move to using hex tiles in Civilization V rather than the square grid that had been the mainstay until then. Another major change was the addition of “unit stacks,” whereas before, you’d send all your little military guys at cities single file.

I also had an experience in Civilization IV with a roommate using the “Next War” mod, where we were getting roundly beaten by a computer-controlled Franklin Roosevelt. He was our ally, but every time we all went to war with someone, we’d get halfway through, and he’d adopt our foe as a vassal state, greatly expanding the size of his empire and ending the war. Late in the game, we retaliated by focusing on developing nuclear arms, then suddenly betrayed him by raining atomic death down on the peace-loving jerk. Before the first salvo was even finished, our scientists warned us that if we continued, the planet would crack like an egg. We didn’t listen and continued to unload our arsenal until the game abruptly ended in “barbarian victory.” How’s that for a “New Deal,” Roosevelt?

Wholesome fun.

In any case, we’ll keep you posted on developments. All we have right now is confirmation that the next Civilization game is in development. Target platforms, release windows, and even the chosen name have not been included in the announcement.

Zoey Handley

Staff Writer – Zoey is a gaming gadabout. She got her start blogging with the community in 2018 and hit the front page soon after. Normally found exploring indie experiments and retro libraries, she does her best to remain chronically uncool.