We had every reason to suspect it, but Now it’s official, Firaxis is already developing Civilization VII, the future new installment of Civilization, the oldest and most iconic saga of turn-based strategy games. It seems incredible, but more than 30 years have passed since the first Sid Meier’s Civilization saw the light of day and hit the market, by the hand of MicroProse, in September 1991. More than three decades in which the franchise has been adding experience (although also the occasional stumble) and consolidating itself as the absolute leader in its market.
Turn-based strategy is not a genre for everyone. Faced with the agility and rhythm of the real-time strategy, in which response agility weighs more than planning, in the turn-based game we have, as in chess, to plan moves based on the prediction of the movements that we suppose our opponent will carry out. This translates into a more reflective and leisurely experience than, for example, what other sagas like Age of Empires offer us. However, if the slower pace isn’t an issue for you, then you’re probably part of the club that enjoys hours-long game sessions scheduling turns.
I said at the beginning that we had quite a few reasons to think so, since Civilization VI, the most current installment so far, was released on October 21, 2016, so it will soon be seven years old. It is true that during this time it has received several expansions and other add-ons, which have extended its life on the market, but even so, we must go back to the first installments of the saga to find releases so far apart in time (although I clarify that, to carry out this metric, I include both Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri and Sid Meier’s Beyond Earth in the complete list of the saga). That is, the complete saga, counting both titles, would look like this:
- civilization: September 1991
- Civilization II: May 1998
- Alpha Centauri: February 1999
- Civilization III: April 2002
- Civilization IV: October 2005
- Civilization V: September 2010
- civilization: Beyond Earth: October 2014
- Civilization VI: October 2016
So, as you can see, there was only a time span of about seven years between the first and second installments, since then the maximum separation has been five years. And as I said, the expansions do allow the life of the games to be extended, but even so, some of us already took it for granted, for some time, that the studio should have started working on Civilization VII.
The good news is that, finally, it is no longer an assumption, but a confirmed fact. The company has published a statement in which it informs of internal movements, more specifically of the promotion of Heather Hazen as the new head of the study. This movement is important, of course, but what is most interesting is found in one of Hazen’s statements that we can find in said text:
«I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to carry on the studio’s storied legacy, beginning with the announcement that Firaxis is in development on the next iteration of the legendary Civilization franchise,” says Hazen. «I’m lucky to be working with some of the best developers in our industry, and we have plans to take the Civilization franchise to exciting new heights for our millions of players around the world.
Indeed, he takes advantage of the communication of his appointment to make the first official announcement that Firaxis is already developing Civilization VII, the new iteration of the saga. There are no more details about it, nor dates nor any advance of what we can find in it, but it is interesting that the first title that he has referred to in his statements has been Civilization VII, even ahead of its recent and quite successful Marvel’s Midnight Suns or the also referent XCOM, which are also mentioned in said text.
Very good news, therefore, for all those who have (we have) stolen hours from studies, sleep and in some cases even from work singing the well-known “Come on, just a couple of more shifts”. Will we stumble again with the next installment of the saga? Everyone has their own personal answer to that question, but in my case I have it terribly clear, and no, it won’t be two turns, it will be at least five.
