If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.
Civilization VII isn't a historical recreation, it's asking 'What If?' on a giant scale
Civ VII isn't meant to be solely historically accurate, as its developers (and a literal historical expert) argued at PAX West 2024
Popverse's top stories of the day
- How Disney+'s What If...? is the moonshot for the next 50 years of Marvel Studios & the MCU
- Watch: Dune: Prophecy's Desmond Hart explained: His secret identity, his past, and his possible future [SPOILERS]
- Dune: Prophecy's Desmond Hart explained: His secret identity, his past, and his possible future [SPOILERS]
For a game as rooted in real world history and elements and figures from our very real past as Sid Meier’s Civilization, some might think that it could be a little… dry for those who aren’t really that interested in reliving the past. But, as the team from Firaxis Games argued during the PAX West 2024 Civilization VII Developer Panel, that’s missing the point of what Civ actually is.
“Civ is not, in and of itself, a historical simulator, it’s not supposed to be,” pointed out executive producer Dennis Shirk. “We give you the pieces of history to play with, you know: the languages spoken, what they’e wearing, uniforms, hats, everything around you is accurate when we hand it off, and then our fans screw it all up and tell their own stories, which is what’s great!”
That’s the kind of thinking that some might think would upset Andrew Johnson, the senior historian at Firaxis Games — but the reality turns out to be exactly the opposite.
“What a civilization is, is a conglomeration of different kinds of ideas that came from the past, but also material conditions that shape how we realize those things, or may reshape our own ideas, and I think for me, the changing civilization speaks towards… nothing’s inevitable, right? There’s no destiny that we all have,” he argued. “The times and places that we exist now are the development of these different configurations through time. And so, for me, the notion of changing a civ to something else, is a realization of this or that possibility. So even though that possibility didn’t actually happen in the past, maybe we could explore it like this. Even if this is the one that did happen, well then, you might want to just try something else. What if?”
This, Johnson suggested, is the key appeal to Civilization in all of its forms — and especially true of Civilization VII: “I think what makes many historical games, and Civ, fun, is that ‘What if?’ I love doing that.”
Sid Meier’s Civilization VII is scheduled for release February 11, 2025, and is available for pre-purchase now.
Watch the complete Civilization VII panel below.
Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out Popverse's guides to:
And if you're looking for specific franchises or genres, we've also got lists for the:
Finally, if you're a fan of superheroes and not specific to just Marvel or DC, we have overall guides to:
About PAX West
A Celebration Of Video Games, Tabletop, & Game Culture!
Dates
-
Location
Seattle Convention Center
United States
Follow Popverse for upcoming event coverage and news
Find out how we conduct our review by reading our review policy
Let Popverse be your tour guide through the wilderness of pop culture
Sign in and let us help you find your new favorite thing.
Comments
Want to join the discussion? Please activate your account first.
Visit Reedpop ID if you need to resend the confirmation email.