Nobody doubted a Civ successor. Now Firaxis officially announces who is behind the new series installment
With a short tweet, the official Civilization Twitter account drops the turn-based strategy bomb: Civ 7 is in development.
Who is behind the new Civilization part?
Firaxis Games not only officially announces the development of Civilization 7 for the first time, but also announces some restructuring in the development studio at the same time. For example, Jake Solomon, the creative director of XCOM and Marvel’s Midnight Suns, is leaving the team after more than 20 years:
“I’m starting a new chapter, but am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to pursue my dreams at Firaxis Games. I’m grateful to everyone who enjoys XCOM and Marvel’s Midnight Suns, as well as my development and publishing partner:s who helped bring these games to life”
Creative director of the new Civ installment will be Ed Beach, who has been involved with the series for more than 15 years and most recently led the design of Civilization 6. There are also changes at the top of Firaxis Games, with senior managing director Heather Hazel taking over as studio head.
The Civilization Twitter account also suggests that Sid Meier himself will probably be involved in the project again. In response to a user’s question about the source of the announcement, the official account replies with the best possible retort, namely a picture of the Civ creator:
🚨 Hot off the presses. Next Civ game in development!!!!!!! 🤯
– Sid Meier’s Civilization (@CivGame) February 17, 2023
To date, however, it remains purely an announcement. Firaxis is keeping more concrete information about the game to itself, as well as artwork, screenshots or even a trailer. We assume, however, that this will change in the next few months, as Summer Game Fest and E3 are not too far away. And Firaxis will be very aware of the expectations they are stirring up with their tweets.
Are you happy about the announcement? And what do you wish for the new part of the series? What Civ 6 mistakes should developer Firaxis learn from? Would you like to see new mechanics and a revolution in the turn-based strategy genre? Or should Civ 7 return to its roots? Drop us a line in the comments
