The wait is over, the narrator for Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 has been revealed as part of their official gameplay showcase released during Gamescom. Gwendolyn Christie, of Game of Thrones and Wednesday fame, will be the new narrator for Civilization 7. This was also followed by an official release date: February 11th, 2025. Just under six months from now. Following the reveal, the introduction of the new game and its primary new mechanic: evolving Civs. According to creative director Ed Beach, “at the dawn of each new age of human advancement, [players will] select a new Civ to represent [their] empire.” These new leaders will come with new gameplay bonuses, allowing players to “reinforce or pivot [their] strategies” to respond to how their game is going.

To illustrate that point a short cinematic plays and shows the beginning of a typical game, with Egypt being the example nation. Under Christie’s narration, the game is going quite well as the growing empire finds allies, and natural wonders, and expands. The gameplay is highly reminiscent of Civ VI’s district and widespread city design. A conflict with Rome showcases the war mechanics, which seem rather robust in their performance. Finally the initial Age of the game – the Age of Antiquity – comes to an end to make way for the Age of Exploration. It is at this moment that a choice is presented to the player to either continue playing as Egypt or to play under a new Civ banner, building on what the player has already done or pivoting to a new angle. 

The New Age mechanic is the driving differentiator of this game compared to previous games. Each Age is unique, with specific technologies and civics to research, materials to locate and harvest, and independent powers or gameplay mechanics. However, the most important thing is unique Civs. Civs are divided by Age, and as such balance between Civs is managed over the course of the Age as opposed to across the whole game. The three Ages in game are: The Antiquity Age – the dawn of ancient civilizations, the Exploration Age – categorized by the Renaissance and formation of colonies, and the Modern Age – from the Industrial Revolution to today. All Ages can be played in isolation, or from start to finish in a full campaign. How Civs change across ages is caused by a number of factors, such as which leader a player chooses, the original Civ one is playing as, and what gameplay decisions players make. 

While the Civs may change, leaders do not, as players take on a leader to play with as they navigate their journey through time. However, leaders are no longer tied to specific Civs, meaning mix and matching might be the name of the game for players looking to shake up their experiences. 

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII is available to pre-order now. Pre-orders will give players the Tecumseh and Shawnee Packs which are available in the Deluxe and Founders Editions of the game. Players with 2K Accounts can sign up for the Civ newsletter and receive Napoleon’s Emperor Persona, while players who play Civ VII with their 2K account will acquire Napoleon’s Revolutionary Persona, what those result in only time will tell.