Official announcement: Hot off the presses. Next Civ game in development!!!!!!!

[Askia Muhammad]

Super random and perhaps should be it’s own topic -

Would anyone else be in favor of them releasing multiplayer packs/single player packs

I.E. Multiplayer will have more overall civs/leaders but the single player packs will be a totally custom written AI to take advantage specifically of that leader/civs attributes.

Imagine if Babylon for example had an AI that forced it to make best use of its bonus instead of still building a ton of campuses and wasting time researching.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

We are in FY24 at the moment. FY25 starts on April 1, 2024 and ends March 31, 2025

Assuming there is any continuity with previous practice, all the Civ games except Civ II came out in September or October, and all but one (Civ V) came out in October.
October 2024 would be exactly 8 years since Civ VI came out, and 17 months from now.

Since I cannot think of any dressed up alt-leader or thrown-together new Civ that would make the slightest difference in playability to a game in which neither the AI nor the victory systems are working now, I think short of any real information Civ Fanatics Forums amounts to:



It's dead, people, and it's time to let it quietly decompose. Anything they throw to us between now and some possible new game over a year out is just going to be a cardboard bone, because they are not going to waste resources on anything substantial, like actually correcting any of the accumulated errors in the game systems.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

I don't think October 2023 would be out of the question for Civ 7.

I had thought so until yesterday.

Take Two basically said that their entire organization is only going to be making 3 immersive core games in the next 10 months. Two were named in the conference call, and one is a brand new IP. The rest of their output will be mid-core games, ports, remasters, mobile games, and something they call hyper-casuals. They also listed the titles that they expected to be their best money-makers for the next 10 months. Civ was not listed.

They also noted that several of their best titles had received "extended development" this past February. Basically, delays.

Additionally, they anticipate their revenue for the next year to be roughly equal to the past year, but the year after that, it will go up by 50%. Those "extended development" titles will be coming due.

So, in my estimation, it probably was intended to come out late in 2023, but now it's delayed until mid-late 2024.

 

[Hellenism Salesman]

This has hurt to read

 

[SammyKhalifa]

I don't think

I think FY25 is probably most realistic - on the topic of an additional LP - if it’s going to be the quality of the one we just got - no thanks.

If they take the time to actually program in new modifiers and maybe touch up the AI - sure.

I think I'd be interested in senarios or a spin off using the engine or something, but just more "stuff?" Sometimes more is just more.

 

[Exarian]

The only thing that I want from Civ7 is a smart AI instead of 200% product. cheats.
With all the AI breakthroughs it's 100% possible, dota2 had AI team 5 years ago outplaying best teams that played the game their whole life.
Don't need another civ 6 but empty wo dlcs

 

[Kwami]

The only thing that I want from Civ7 is a smart AI instead of 200% product. cheats.
With all the AI breakthroughs it's 100% possible, dota2 had AI team 5 years ago outplaying best teams that played the game their whole life.
Don't need another civ 6 but empty wo dlcs

Oh, come on. The AI for a game like DoTA 2 is vastly simpler than the AI for a game like Civ 6. It's not even kind of remotely close.

When it comes to AI, you can choose:

1. Fast
2. Fun
3. Good at the game

You might get two, but getting all three is incredibly difficult for a complex game. The developers for this game seem to have chosen to prioritize the first two options, but the AI isn't actually all that bad, anyway. It's mostly competent and sometimes makes surprisingly good decisions. Anyway, most players never play on a harder level than Prince or King, so I don't know why Firaxis should prioritize the AI for the small, noisy community here.

 

[reddishrecue]

The only thing that I want from Civ7 is a smart AI instead of 200% product. cheats.
With all the AI breakthroughs it's 100% possible, dota2 had AI team 5 years ago outplaying best teams that played the game their whole life.
Don't need another civ 6 but empty wo dlcs

You mean an AI that wont let you win right?

 

[UWHabs]

I had thought so until yesterday.

Take Two basically said that their entire organization is only going to be making 3 immersive core games in the next 10 months. Two were named in the conference call, and one is a brand new IP. The rest of their output will be mid-core games, ports, remasters, mobile games, and something they call hyper-casuals. They also listed the titles that they expected to be their best money-makers for the next 10 months. Civ was not listed.

They also noted that several of their best titles had received "extended development" this past February. Basically, delays.

Additionally, they anticipate their revenue for the next year to be roughly equal to the past year, but the year after that, it will go up by 50%. Those "extended development" titles will be coming due.

So, in my estimation, it probably was intended to come out late in 2023, but now it's delayed until mid-late 2024.

Yeah, presumably them targeting this fall was the original plan, but then the various delays pushed it back. Whether the delays were what prompted them to release the leader pass, or maybe they made the decision they weren't hitting the original release so added in some extra delays and the leader pass to bridge the gap, we don't know.

I guess the question is whether the delays will end up being a full year, and they opt for the October 2024 release schedule. Or if they think they get it out earlier, and aim for next May or so.

 

[ManoftheHour333]

Interesting stuff. All this info and theories are great!

My only concern is that the longer wait time (Especially after already making a semi-annoucement?) may hurt the overall hype. Civ is still Civ but what's killing me about the state of the gaming/media industry now is just that things take SO much more time and not all the wheels seem to be fitting properly...if that makes sense. This isn't always a bad thing for sure (Games have gotten more complex after all) but the way that the media in general is marketed is ass-backwards. Marketing just is still leagues behind game development and release-timing; particularly in the DLC age.

It almost makes me think that the annoucement this year wasn't to start generating hype but rather as promotional material for the LP. Which, given the quality of that content in general, wasn't that fair to make people pay. Plus it's just straight confusing for fans/audiences who are left in the dark...

Given that this is FXS who already is known for providing not much, to no news on products, it's just frustrating to know we won't get be getting much for, in all honesty, a year. If we're truly out a year from VII's release then I expect this fall to be another drought like the fall of 2020 was-essentally the same situation as before NFP was released. I suppose that it's ok-it just means that we'll have to move on to other titles in the meantime, or replay VI (Which I've been playing a lot of as late and am getting tired of lmao) to oblivion.

The tone of this post is rather negative (And entitled lmao) I'll admit but I don't want to make it seem as if I'm ungrateful or whatever. Just some frustrations at the lack of useful information and at how tiresome marketing can be. At the very least, I just hope VII is the best Civ possible!!

 

[Krajzen]

As much as I have tried to believe this year's release, part of me had this intuition that the message "we are working on a next civ game" sounds like reassurance and consolation because of the game *not* coming out this year, and that you wouldn't randomly say such thing like two or three months before the announcement...

 

[Haig]

Civs 5 and 6 were announced 5-6 months before release, Civ 4 was announced like 8-9 months before if I remember right.

I would not mind an early announcement for VII!

Even some sweet teaser like a simple "Arriving in 2024.... part VII" would be very cool!

 

[Krajzen]

Yeah, I think at this point we are all desperate for anything. The very long wait for eternally reoccuring (and very discussion provoking) game such as civ becomes unbearable at the end. Just how much you can discuss the same pure theories without anything actually happening. If Firaxis showed us super early announcement, teaser video, a bunch of alpha screenshots and a bunch of vague statements and promises about new game's direction, I'd be fine with it coming not in October but like February, and with us not having much more info for many months.

By the way, how comes I've only now realized that the past two civ6 expansions were announced in autumn to be released in February? Maybe it's a new modus operandi in general.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Yeah, I think at this point we are all desperate for anything. The very long wait for eternally reoccuring (and very discussion provoking) game such as civ becomes unbearable at the end. Just how much you can discuss the same pure theories without anything actually happening. If Firaxis showed us super early announcement, teaser video, a bunch of alpha screenshots and a bunch of vague statements and promises about new game's direction, I'd be fine with it coming not in October but like February, and with us not having much more info for many months.

By the way, how comes I've only now realized that the past two civ6 expansions were announced in autumn to be released in February? Maybe it's a new modus operandi in general.

Speculating on the basis of no information is sort of what 99.9% of these Forums is either all about or degenerates into, but it does get old pretty fast . . .

Expansion Packs have never been as predictable as game releases. Civ game releases have all been in September - October, except for Civ II, which was in February.
Civ III's Expansions were released in October and November, 13 months apart.
Civ IV's Expansions were both released in July, 1 year apart
Civ V Expansions were released in June and then 9 months later in the following March.
Civ VI Expansions, as stated, were both released in February, 1 year apart, and then 15 months later the 'Season Pass' New Frontier Pass was released in May (3 years ago, in 2020)

All the previous games from III to V saw a new game released between 23 and 42 months after the last Expansion Pack. Since it has now been 48 months since the last Expansion Pack for Civ VI, I speculate that the next game was originally scheduled for this year or possibly late last year. Add in NSP and COVID, though, and I would now bet that the original schedule went out the window a couple of years ago.

Sigh. Much as I hate to admit it, if we assume that NSP 'stands in' as an additional 'Expansion Pack', then October - November of this year would have been right on schedule, and any COVID-disruption slipping of the schedule would put release of the next game into next year, which appears now to be the case.

So, probably at least another 6 months of Zero Information producing copious amounts of nebulous imaginings, speculative fiction and personal whinging - in other words, CivFanatics As Usual.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

I'm pretty content with a 2024 Civ 7 release.

I'm enjoying the heck out of AoW4, with 2 DLCs and 2 expansions coming out within a year to keep ot fresh. And BG3 is finally going to have a full release in August. My gaming needs are met for a year.

Plus, I was getting pretty burned out on Civ 6 by the end of the LP. I could use a break.

 

[tedhebert]

I'm pretty content with a 2024 Civ 7 release.

I'm enjoying the heck out of AoW4, with 2 DLCs and 2 expansions coming out within a year to keep ot fresh. And BG3 is finally going to have a full release in August. My gaming needs are met for a year.

Plus, I was getting pretty burned out on Civ 6 by the end of the LP. I could use a break.

THIS...

all this

Exactly same games

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

I'm pretty content with a 2024 Civ 7 release.

I'm enjoying the heck out of AoW4, with 2 DLCs and 2 expansions coming out within a year to keep ot fresh. And BG3 is finally going to have a full release in August. My gaming needs are met for a year.

Plus, I was getting pretty burned out on Civ 6 by the end of the LP. I could use a break.

Yeah, I haven't been able to play more than an hour or so of Civ VI for the past year without starting to zone out, so my gaming has been with pre-release Farthest Frontier, Anno 1800 (which still has content coming out this coming year) and trying for a complete Caribbean Rum Production Monopoly in Port Royale IV. Later this year, Builders of Egypt, China and Greece and Celestial Empire are due out, and there should be at least one of those that will keep me occupied.

 

[Pistol90]

I could live with 2024 release, would accept it right now.

I need PC upgrade, and now its not really time for it. But next year when they fix AM5, a GPU prices (i hope) comes down a little bit + Civ7 (maybe GTA 6, with City Skilines 2 and Starfield being patched) would be great gaming time.

 

[AntSou]

I'm pretty content with a 2024 Civ 7 release.

I'm enjoying the heck out of AoW4, with 2 DLCs and 2 expansions coming out within a year to keep ot fresh. And BG3 is finally going to have a full release in August. My gaming needs are met for a year.

Plus, I was getting pretty burned out on Civ 6 by the end of the LP. I could use a break.

Similar but with Warhammer 3. It will keep me occupied for well over a year at minimum.

 

[Hellenism Salesman]

Am I the only one with non-gaming related plans for the Civ VII wait?