Why Prussia instead of Germany?

[Verified_Confection_Being]

Honestly, as ridiculous as it sounds, I genuinely believe that glassdor guy's anecdote about one (or several?) of the lead devs deciding to throw away a lot of work and embark on the last minute radical changes after ahayauasca trip in Mexico. For those who don't know, ahayasca is an extremely powerful psychoactive drug and people from certain subcultures travel to Mexico like to Mecca to ingest it and "expand consciousness". It's also powerful enough to trigger dramatic changes in mindset. The reason I believe that the glassdoor guy has actually told the truth here is that the anecdote is so absurd yet so strangely specific that it fits the absurd yet strangely specific problems of civ7 quite well - from the crazy decisions regarding civ switching and specifics of the era system through the ridiculous HMS Revenge to the incredibly strange problems UI.

In the same vein, I sadly suspect that the lead devs genuinely expected civ switching to be loved enough for them to bank on the fourth era and the fourth set of disconnected civs, going as far as excluding USA and France from the 1950-2050 era because you can simply switch to Canada and Sweden. After all everybody knows how civ players are really attached to the leader, not the civ, right? Now that's a thought worthy of the ahayauasca-induced "enlightenment"...

I totally agree with you, and I was about to say except on the Civ selection in the final era, but then I remembered that Buganda got in ahead of great Britain in modern, and Bulgaria ahead of Byzantium in exploration, and I realised I actually agree with you 100%

Their Civ selection criteria isn't about consistency, popularity or significance. The only pattern I can see is vague geographic representation, and what's the minimum traditional Civ representation we can get away with in base game so we can make bank off selling them back to you in dlc

So pre-release I was sure that we got Prussia because Germany was due for the canned fourth era, but now I have no idea, it could be any reason. I'd believe you if you told me they have a tombola with a bunch of Civ names and they spin it and pick one at random each time they need one.

 

[Owen Selevert]

Another possibility could be to also add another Germany in the same era, but make it more scientific focused (instead of the typical military focus, which Prussia now holds). Berlin was a center of science in the later 1800s and early 1900s, and they could add the Museum Isle as an assiciated wonder.

 

[Siptah]

it seems that these people in Mexico and their drug tourists didn‘t at all understand why and how you take ayahuasca. The whole point is that you don‘t take it yourself, but someone more experienced takes it for you. But of course, Mexico also isn‘t the right place for doing that. Seems like a tourist trap for Americans, tbh. Whether this is true is another story.

While I think that changes from Germany to Prussia or similar might have happened as late as summer of 2024, I’m pretty sure the rough civs were decided on much earlier and were not last minute decisions of some sorts. Many thinks looked rushed at released, including the last era. But I didn‘t see any hints yet that the civ selection would be one of these. But I also think that aside from Siam instead of Britain, the starting roaster was fine. 30 civs require a lot of compromises.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Another possibility could be to also add another Germany in the same era, but make it more scientific focused (instead of the typical military focus, which Prussia now holds). Berlin was a center of science in the later 1800s and early 1900s, and they could add the Museum Isle as an assiciated wonder.

I feel like having a civ called Germany, or the German Empire, in the same age would feel redundant with Prussia. I could expect to see another German state like Austria, or maybe even Bavaria though.

But I also think that aside from Siam instead of Britain, the starting roaster was fine. 30 civs require a lot of compromises.

So you would have left off a modern SEA civ? Interesting.
I'm under the impression that the devs thought that they could get by with the Normans as being England/Britain adjacent in the base game. I'd rather have just made an Exploration Age England personally, and wouldn't have minded waiting for a proper Modern British civ down the line.

 

[Xandinho]

While I think that changes from Germany to Prussia or similar might have happened as late as summer of 2024, I’m pretty sure the rough civs were decided on much earlier and were not last minute decisions of some sorts. Many thinks looked rushed at released, including the last era. But I didn‘t see any hints yet that the civ selection would be one of these. But I also think that aside from Siam instead of Britain, the starting roaster was fine. 30 civs require a lot of compromises.

So you would have left off a modern SEA civ? Interesting.
I'm under the impression that the devs thought that they could get by with the Normans as being England/Britain adjacent in the base game. I'd rather have just made an Exploration Age England personally, and wouldn't have minded waiting for a proper Modern British civ down the line.

I personally would have included the HRE instead of the Normans as the German representation in the base game, and I'd have placed Great Britain instead of Prussia in the Modern AGe, so the entire roster would look very good to me. I might also trim down the paths in South and Southeast Asia, since they are connected, to give a bit more representation to other regions.

As for Prussia instead of Germany, I have two theories:

1. They left an open slot for a future contemporary Germany in a hypothetical fourth era.
2. They left room for more German civs in the future, such as Bavaria.

Considering how the Modern Age is currently designed, with its abrupt end around what seems to be 1950 in real-world terms — especially keeping in mind that previous games have never ended before 2000 — I’m more inclined to believe it’s the first theory

 

[socratic]

it seems that these people in Mexico and their drug tourists didn‘t at all understand why and how you take ayahuasca. The whole point is that you don‘t take it yourself, but someone more experienced takes it for you. But of course, Mexico also isn‘t the right place for doing that. Seems like a tourist trap for Americans, tbh. Whether this is true is another story.

While I think that changes from Germany to Prussia or similar might have happened as late as summer of 2024, I’m pretty sure the rough civs were decided on much earlier and were not last minute decisions of some sorts. Many thinks looked rushed at released, including the last era. But I didn‘t see any hints yet that the civ selection would be one of these. But I also think that aside from Siam instead of Britain, the starting roaster was fine. 30 civs require a lot of compromises.

I doubt Britian was meant to be excluded from the final product, at least initially. It’s likely all the DLC civs/leaders were planned to release at launch, but either time restraints or corporate meddling (probably both) forced them into DLC.

 

[Haig]

I doubt Britian was meant to be excluded from the final product, at least initially. It’s likely all the DLC civs/leaders were planned to release at launch, but either time restraints or corporate meddling (probably both) forced them into DLC.

Yeah and Britain didn't even have an unique model for their UU. I guess first time in the series that this happened? Must be because time constraints.

I don't know if the unit has unique graphics nowadays.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

I personally would have included the HRE instead of the Normans as the German representation in the base game, and I'd have placed Great Britain instead of Prussia in the Modern AGe, so the entire roster would look very good to me. I might also trim down the paths in South and Southeast Asia, since they are connected, to give a bit more representation to other regions.

I would have liked Charlemagne's version of the HRE, which could then feed into a number of German states, Italy and France. Whether they call it HRE, the Frankish Empire, or the Carolingian Empire, it doesn't matter to me. But I don't know if I'd put them in the base game either.

 

[Civinator]

Yeah and Britain didn't even have an unique model for their UU. I guess first time in the series that this happened? Must be because time constraints.

I don't know if the unit has unique graphics nowadays.

Yes, it has unique graphics now, but it is still a "fantasy" ship (the main artillery is fitting, but the rest of the ship is not). Please have a look here and in the following posts: https://forums.civfanatics.com/thre...-2-3-july-22-2025.699102/page-6#post-16849537