Thank You, from Firaxis!

[FXS_Tronster]

Hi Civilization Players,

I am Tronster, the UI/UX Team Lead on the New Frontier Pass for Sid Meier's Civilization VI.

Being a long-time player turned "dev", it boggles my mind that a few decades ago I was a computer camp counselor helping kids to play Civilization 1 and am now helping build on that game franchise for all the players.

The monthly releases of the New Frontier Pass have helped this past year to go by quickly and it's been encouraging to hear what fans think after each release. Whether on Reddit, CivFantastics, YouTube, Twitch, or other sites, there is a great enthusiasm and strong opinions for some many aspect of the game. I love how fans cover the spectrum of what they find important in the user interface of Civilization, and how modders are building creative solutions to enhance other players' experiences. To all the modders, thank you for your time, commitment, and creativity.

And to all the players, for your comments, suggestions, debating, comparing, and praising of the user interface, thank you! It means a lot and fuels me for future designs and challenges at Firaxis.

You are the best fans in gaming!

 

[FXS_Can]

Hey Civ Fans, I am one of the artists that worked on the Frontier Pass and I just want to say thank you so much to the Civ community!

I remember starting Civ6 back in college and was so overwhelmed but the incredible community made tutorials really helped in the beginning and after that I was just hooked. If I gave up at the game back in college I would not be where I am now, so thank you for the help back then and now by keeping that amazing community spirit going!

 

[FXS_IanS]

Hi everyone! Civ 6 was my first full game for Firaxis and it was amazing to work with all of Firaxis' extremely talented artists, designers, producers, and composers on this game. But the best part has been the response from all of our incredible fans. Your enthusiasm for the game makes Civ genuinely fun to work on.

Speaking of working, I worked on all of the audio code, some of the systems code (including the proof-of-concept Mac and Linux ports, which our friends at Aspyr took and ran with), the shuffler for Tech and Civic Shuffle, and the UI for some NFP features, including Monopolies and Corporations. Everyone who says they always play with Tech and Civic Shuffle enabled, you're my people. It made the game more fun for me, too.

How do *I* know you're the best fans in gaming? I'm not saying it because Kevin knows where I live. In a past life I worked on many of what are now the best-regarded years of the Madden games (including the entire PS1 and PS2 runs). We had millions of wonderful fans, including Hollywood celebrities and NFL players, but the dedication shown by Civ fans is truly next level. Whether you make mods, play multiplayer, or if you're just interested in a trade agreement with England, we appreciate you all!

 

[FXS_JeanFrancois]

I've only been at Firaxis for a short while, but I’ve been playing Civilization and lurking here for a very long time.

Someone should designate this community a national park because you’re all breathtaking.

Thank you for your continued support!

 

[Andrew Frederiksen]

Hello!! I’m Andrew Frederiksen – I was the Lead Producer for the first year & half of Civ6’s post launch content. I want to join the rest of the team in saying thank you all so much playing our game and being a wonderful community!

Working on Civ6 was a true highlight in my career, and to see what the team has done with the game has just been tremendous. I know you’re all enjoying it as much as I am, so thanks again for helping make Civ what it is.


Now, I gotta go play just one more turn…

 

[FXS McDonough]

Friends and fans, thank you for loving and caring about this game so much. As a Civ designer it's a privilege to work on such a storied game with such a devoted group of players. Everything we tried, all the ideas strange and new, you responded to with curiosity and enthusiasm. Your love of the game inspires us every day! From vanilla to New Frontier, it's been so much fun to work on the game and see the community enjoy it. I had an absolute blast. Thank you for the journey, Civ VI!

 

[fxs_randolph]

Thank you for being awesome.

 

[Brian Busatti]

Thank you to our exceptional fan base, especially those who worked so hard to create some amazing additions of their own! Your contributions, past and present, continue to inspire me. I’ve been fortunate enough to speak with some of you over the years and feel very blessed that we have such a passionate group of players. I appreciate the suggestions and feedback that I’ve been given over the years and thank you for sticking with us after so many iterations of the game. I’ve enjoyed working on them as much as you seem to enjoy playing them and hope this continues for many years to come!

Brian Busatti
Civ VI Project Art Director

 

[FXS_Ryan]

Thanks for being the best fans in gaming! We're lucky to have fans as passionate about our games as we are!

 

[FXS_The_JJ]

Thanks for being the best fans we could ask for!

 

[FXS_AndrewG]

Hello Civ Players,

I am Andrew Garrett and I am the lead AI engineer for Civilization 6. It's thrilling for me to see how many of you enjoy playing this game we've all worked so hard on. We have a great community, and your feedback has been vital to continually improving the AI and gameplay of the series. The sheer amount of passion so many of you bring to your play is inspiring, both on the game play itself as well as the historical aspects of the game.

I hope we can bring you many hundreds more hours of enjoyment. Keep at it.

 

[kjones]

Hello Civ Fans!
I am Kevin Jones, one of the graphics programmers on Civilization 6. It's been great seeing the community response to each new release, as well as all the screenshots of the game. It's been a lot of fun working on this project the last few years.
Thanks for being the best fans in gaming!

 

[Duke William of Normandy]

Thanks, guys. Appreciate all the love from you all as well.

Now, we just need a clear answer on whether or not Civ 6 will continue to be developed, or will you just keep giving off answers with the vagueness of the Greek Oracle?

 

[FXS_Rony]

Hello Civ fans! Although I'm a more recent addition to the team, it's been awesome seeing your enthusiasm. You are the best fans in gaming

 

[FXS_Tyler]

Good morning, Civilization fans! My name is Tyler Windham, lead UI designer here at Firaxis, and I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for both your amazing continued appreciation for our work, and the personal impact you've had on my life this past year. Thank you, truly, for giving us your words of encouragement and contemplation, your appreciation and your criticism, your joy in victory and your persistence in defeat; your words inspire our efforts, push us to work harder and create better, and Civilization would be nothing without you. The act of creation is an inherently chaotic one, a combustible process that demands constant fire from passion and drive, and you have graciously given us an overwhelming amount of both.

I started playing Civ when I was 12 years old. My family and I had just moved to a new state; having to leave behind my friends made for a tough and lonely time, so my father thought to cheer me up by getting me a new computer game to play on our old Packard Bell. He'd brought home Civilization II, and from that moment on I was hooked. I'd share with him my victories and defeats, calling him in to the room whenever I'd built a new Wonder that I'd never heard about, and he would explain to me the history behind each one (if he knew, or make up a funny story if he didn't). Sadly, my father passed away from COVID this past October, and again I found myself in a tough and lonely time. Thankfully, I had your words of enthusiasm and spirit to comfort me, to inspire me and lift me up, and to keep the fires of creation within me lit. This has been a difficult time for all of us; we've all been affected one way or another by the events of the past year. We are so incredibly lucky to have fans such as you to lift us up, encourage us, and keep us going, and it is my sincerest hope that through our work we've provided a measure of comfort, support, and fun for you.

Again, thank you for all your amazing words, and I hope you continue to share your enjoyment of Civilization with us.

 

[FXS_JJ]

My name is JJ, and I’m a UI Designer at Firaxis. Before I was a Firaxian, I was one of you.

In early 2002, my friend Kyle showed me Civilization III. As a fan of city building and park simulator games, I was enamored. When you’ve already built the most thrilling of theme parks and sprawling megacities, building your own civilization seems like the next logical step. I spent that summer mowing my neighbors’ lawns so I could save up enough money to purchase a copy of my own.

I always knew that Firaxis took the CIV community seriously. I’ve seen hotfixes implemented at lightning speed, and player feedback taken to heart. But, from this side of the curtain, I can tell you that y’all mean the world to the studio.

Thanks for everything you do, all the kind words you’ve shared with the studio, and all the bug reports. Thank you for the memes. Thank you for the pictures of you building a wonder in-game while standing next to the real wonder—I love those.

And most importantly, thank you for always being kind to new players looking to start their Civilization journey. I’ve seen such kindness and warmness extended to newbies here, unparalleled by a lot of the other fandoms I belong to. You never know which one of those new players will fall deeply in love with the medium and end up working at Firaxis themselves.

 

[FXS_RichardV]

Hello everyone! I am Richard Van Natta, a graphics programmer at Civ.

Civilization’s ported to all sorts of platforms: PC, consoles, mobile. As a Linux gamer myself, it is great to work on one of the vanguards of native Linux gaming.

It is very fulfilling to work on optimized, handcrafted rendering code knowing that this can bring the visions of my team members to gamers on lower end hardware and mobile. Civ being relatively feature-complete even on mobile and switch is great!

 

[FXS_Gabriel]

Hi all! I'm Gabriel from the Graphics team. I'd like to thank you all for your support. It's a pleasure to make games for such an awesome community!

 

[FXS_Asher]

Y'all stylin'

 

[FXS_David]

To the fans, thank you for all the amazing support throughout the years. Since its initial release, Civilization VI has been a large part of my life. Professionally, Civ has allowed me to take on new roles and challenges. As time has gone on and technology has evolved, so has the need to further develop the breath, look, and feel of every historic leader seen on screen. Personally, this game has provided a stable foundation for me to be loving husband and father. I am eternally grateful. It has been a pleasure to provide an experience that is so well received by a loyal and heartwarming community.