'One World' to 'Brave New World'?

[Camikaze]

So the speculation had been that the expansion was going to be called 'One World'. Well founded speculation, found in the Steam database. It's caught everyone by surprise that the title is actually 'Brave New World'. At a glance it's a subtle change, but it does indicate a fairly different focus. The old title suggests trade and unity, the new suggests a divided dystopia.

What do the titles indicate, and will the switch from one title to the other hold any significance for how we think the game will play? Does this mean the focus is going to be much more on cultural/ideological conflict than on strictly peaceful interactions?

 

[True_Candyman]

I think they probably just did some testing of reactions to a number of different titles and Brave New World grabbed the most attention. They both fit pretty nicely from the sound of things so I don't think they would have suddenly decided the content they were working on doesn't work under the title One World any longer.

 

[smallfish]

It also has... interesting implications, given the name of a certain famous work

Like an Autocracy Moctezuma winning the game through cultural (and outright) domination

 

[aluelkdf]

I wonder if the title alludes to this at all? http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_New_World

Games are always used to push propoganda. Previous versions of civ pushed Federal Reserve propoganda and alluded that the FED was actually "good" for the civ and the economy.

Regardless, Civilization is still one of the best games of all time.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

One World was obviously a working title.

I'm happy with the BNW title. The reference to the book works well, and it goes with the game's art aesthetic.

 

[Tinker]

Brave New World in itself doesn't reference dystopia, the book uses a line from Shakespeare's the Tempest - a really positive one: "O, wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here!How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in't!". It's probably referencing that (a large, diverse world), rather than Huxley's novel.

 

[SomeoneLikeHim]

Obviously it refers to the Iron Maiden album \m/

 

[cakes]

i would say they were very aware of the line from the tempest -- given the focus on cultural output now -- but also were aware of the novel. clever name, really. i prefer it to 'one world'

 

[shadowplay]

I don't know that it refers to any actual change in the direction of the Xpac so much as they decided "Brave New World" sounded cooler than "One World".

 

[MacAttack]

Ya'll are reading too much into it. One World was leaked as a marketing scheme to generate interest and Brave New World is a commonly used phrase throughout history. The dystopian connotation only really exists because of the book. I seriously doubt they chose the title because of the book.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I am not really a fan of the new name to be honest. Preferred alternatives:
Civ5: Mody Dick
Civ5: War and Peach
Civ5: Poland can into Civ

 

[Trias]

Ya'll are reading too much into it. One World was leaked as a marketing scheme to generate interest and Brave New World is a commonly used phrase throughout history. The dystopian connotation only really exists because of the book. I seriously doubt they chose the title because of the book.

I'm pretty sure almost all of the uses of the phrase "Brave New World" in history are references to The Tempest or Huxley (who was also referencing the Tempest).

So, there is no doubt the book played a role in their decision. (Unless their markting department is completely incompetent.)

 

[aluelkdf]

I'm pretty sure almost all of the uses of the phrase "Brave New World" in history are references to The Tempest or Huxley (who was also referencing the Tempest).

So, there is no doubt the book played a role in their decision. (Unless their markting department is completely incompetent.)

The book definitely influenced the title. The term may have existed for centuries, but the book is what popularized the term in modern culture. At the very least, they are well aware of the book and decided to use the same name anyway.

 

[kaspergm]

Personally I prefered One World, it sounded less ... clichée ... than Brave New World. But I guess we'll get used to it.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

Personally I prefered One World, it sounded less ... clichée ... than Brave New World. But I guess we'll get used to it.

I wouldn't call it cliche, but it is loaded with implicit reference.

 

[Matthew.]

One World was obviously a working title.

I'm happy with the BNW title. The reference to the book works well, and it goes with the game's art aesthetic.

This. Just a code name or temporary title. It is quite common for game projects.

 

[Shakira42]

Obviously it refers to the Iron Maiden album \m/

Definitely.
These other suggestions are part of a paranoid conspiracy to deflect attention away from the true victory condition...

All Bow To Heavy Metal!



Good stuff.

 

[kaspergm]

I wouldn't call it cliche, but it is loaded with implicit reference.

Yes, but so was One World. I just felt that One World was more refined and contemporary in its implications, because that gave me associations to colonization and globalization, which I think would have been really cool themes for a late-game themed expansion.

 

[Sherlock]

Let's all take a soma and go to the feelies.

 

[ahawk]

Possible reasons for the title change:

1) It's quite possible 'One World' was just a working title, and was never set in stone.

2) The allusion to the Huxley novel 'Brave New World' is not necessarily significant. The book's more dystopian themes are often forgotten about, and the phrase 'brave new world' is used by many simply to referrence a supposedly exciting future, rather than what the book imagined for us.

3) 'One World' is a politically-charged phrase, perhaps moreso than 'Brave New World'. When some groups think of 'One World', they imagine a sort of totalitarian hegemony beneath a superpower, while other groups think of just a UN-like body. Depending on how 'One World' translates into other languages, the working title (or whatever it was) of 'One World' might actually have sounded more sinister than the title now announced.

4) 'Brave New World', because of the word 'new', presumably emphasizes that many changes will be made in the latter parts of the game. This may not be the case, who knows, but 'One World' really only alludes to diplomatic changes, and a few trade-based changes; 'Brave New World' alludes to more than that.