Firaxis Games has revealed a major update for Civilization 7 that will be out on 17 June. This update will add multiple much-requested features that are being awaited by players since the launch of the game.
Expanded Map Sizes Finally Arrive
The update will add Large and Huge map options, but the developers say the larger battlefields will require a great deal more hardware. Because of these games’ vast new zones, players may notice slower turn processing times and possible impacts on performance.
Advanced Customization Options Get Major Boost
Players will be able to use new Advanced Game Options that greatly enhance the customization. The new features allow players to select crisis type, choose AI difficulty settings independently and ignore civilization unlocks as before. This last feature lets players pick any civilization when transitioning between ages, which was not possible before.
Steam Workshop Integration Transforms Modding Scene
Full Steam Workshop support is probably the most anticipated feature, which would be a boon for the modding community around Civilization 7. Firaxis will provide ample documentation, best practices, and several example mods from developers to help modders get started.
Town Specializations Receive Notable Upgrades
This upgrade features a brand-new Resort Town specialization and a full overhaul of Urban Center. The other towns will get other minor yet meaningful improvements to encourage gameplay balance and strategic enhancing.
Religious and Diplomatic Content Expansion
Players can look forward to 24 new City-State bonuses and two Pantheon options. The religious gameplay gets a huge boost with 14 new Religious Beliefs from the Founder, Reliquary and Enhancer categories.
Developer Commitment to Long-term Improvements
In addition to the immediate updates, Firaxis has presented their plans for future changes. The studio said Age transitions feel too jarring, replayability needs work, and empire identity across multi-Age campaigns needs strengthening.
The dev team stated that these underlying issues are quite complex and would take more dev time spread over updates. However, in July, players can expect to see the first improvements to end-of-Age countdowns and Age transition mechanics.
Reception Challenges Continue
The game Civilization 7 has been released but is not received well. In spite of having a “mixed” rating on Steam and the number of concurrent players being less than Civilization 6 and the long-ago-released Civilization 5, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick had said the company is happy overall with the game’s performance and that the passage of time will vindicate it.
The next update demonstrates Firaxis’ commitment to utilizing community feedback to enhance the core Civilization 7 experience. With Steam Workshop support and expanded gameplay options, the creator hopes to breathe new life into the game and build a better foundation for its future.
Alongside these major additions, there will be a number of quality-of-life improvements, user interface updates, and bug fixes. There are also several unannounced surprises, which will be revealed in the full patch notes.