American video game studio Firaxis has been behind some top-notch games like XCOM and the most recent Marvel’s Midnight Suns, but above all, the US company is known for its Civilization series of video games.
These turn-based strategy games have been played by millions of people worldwide and many consider them the pinnacle of the genre, letting you take a Civilization from the Stone Age to the Space Age, conquering your neighbors via military force to win the game, even if edging them out culturally or scientifically are also viable paths to victory…
And even though Firaxis launched the latest entry in the series, Civilization VI, in October 2016, it has continued supporting the game via add-ons, which arrived in the form of two large expansions (Rise & Fall and Gathering Storm in 2019) and other content. Actually, the company is still releasing more content as part of its “Leader Pass” DLC, which as you might guess adds new leaders to the game such as Abraham Lincoln. This is paid DLC but Firaxis did give away the first leader Julius Caesar for free to all owners of the game last year.
But given that Civ fans have been playing the same game for years, they may be craving for a new entry in the series now, and luckily Firaxis recently announced that a new Civilization game is in the works. This coincides with the departure of long-time studio head Steve Martin (no the comedian of course), who is replaced by Heather Hazen, who has worked at Epic Games on their world-conquering Fortnite game as a producer.
“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”, said Hazen in a press release. She also said the company is planning to “the Civilization franchise to exciting new heights for our millions of players around the world”.
The new Civilization game might still be a long while away from release though, but it is seemingly in capable hands as Ed Beach will be creative director of the game. The man designed Civilization VI and has been at Firaxis for yonks now so he definitely knows his onions, although it remains to be seen whether Civilization 7 will end up cutting the mustard or not… Civilization VI, despite being a great game was cluttered with features, and arguably wasn’t as good as the earlier Civilization V.
Nonetheless, it’s clear that Firaxis knows this type of grand strategy game better than anybody. Their well-received Marvel’s Midnights Suns is also proof that the US studio can create compelling strategy games in very different settings too, so I for one can’t wait to see what the company has in store for gamers when the next Civ game hits the shelves sometime in the future.