In Civilization 7 (PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox, Switch), Firaxis will change the foundations of the franchise, altering something that has remained constant since the first Civilization in 1991: before the game starts, players choose a civilization and a leader and play both from 4000 BC to modern times. With Civilization 7, this will be different.
What is the major change? In an interview with Techradar, Dennis Shirk, the Executive Producer of Civilization 7, talks about the new “Leader” mechanic and the civilization change in Civilization 7:
In previous Civilization games, players chose a leader and their civilization at the beginning of each game and played with both throughout the entire game. Earlier, there was only one leader per civilization, later players could choose from multiple alternatives.
But in the real world, it has never been the case that a civilization and a leader remained so constant as in Civilizations 1 to 6. And Creative Director Ed Beach wanted to reflect this historical leadership change and also a shift in culture within the game.
Therefore, they made one of the biggest changes in the game, a change that is also scary because it has been so consistent over the decades.
Even ancient Rome changed over the centuries
Why change this? The Creative Director has always used the Roman Empire as an example, the Producer says in the interview:
He used ancient Rome, the Roman Empire, as his prime example when he presented the game. In antiquity, there was, for example, ancient Rome in the real world, which spread new ideas, evolved, had its own golden age, so to speak in gaming terms, and eventually grew too large. There were internal crises, corruption, economic crises, and possibly even plague. They had barbarians at the gates who invaded, split the empire, and eventually scattered it to the winds. The seeds of the Roman Empire are everywhere, across Europe, North Africa, and in some places around the rest of the world.
Leaders have their own skill trees
This is the consequence: In Civilization 7, players will get to choose both their civilization and leader in two instances within the game. Whenever a new overarching age begins.
These are the advantages: Because leaders in Civilization 7 also have their own skills that differ from those of the civilizations and have their own skill tree, players can tailor the leaders to their gameplay enjoyment throughout the three ages.
There will also be alternative leaders who focus on different aspects.
In a blog post, ancient Rome is cited as an example, evolving first into the Norman Empire and then into the French Empire. Instead of Julius Caesar, Napoleon will ultimately be the leader.
Another example shows India under Ashoka, which remains India throughout all 3 ages, albeit in different forms.
This impact it has on players: The Producer says that the change makes Civilization 7 significantly different from its predecessors. What worked in parts 4, 5, and 6 will not work in Civ 7. It is a “New puzzle to decipher.”
Civilization evolves over time and adapts to new competing games
This is behind it: What the Producer sells here as a “revolution” is actually an idea that competing titles have raised regarding Civilization 7. Because Civilization 6 was released in 2016, and since then, quite a bit has changed in the 4X genre:
- In the now quite decent Humankind, players change civilizations with each era – here leaders do not play a role
- In Millenia, a Civ alternative with addictive quality, players keep their civilization but can specialize it anew in different ages and choose various forms of government that strongly influence gameplay
The fact that Civilization 7 deviates from this constant after 31 years is certainly also due to the fact that there are now serious competing titles. Anyone wanting a taste of the new mechanics of Civilization 7 before the game releases on February 6, we recommend Millenia: Anyone waiting for Civilization 7 can grab a brilliant alternative on Steam for 20 € – I have already played 264 hours
