The developer studio Firaxis, founded by Sid Meier, is now mainly known for two titles: Civilization and XCOM. So one can admit without envy that they are mainly experts in the field of round-robin strategy.
But fans of both games have been waiting for the announcement of the next big successor for five years. Those who like XCOM did not get an acceptable spin-off until 2020 with Chimera Squad.
Now delivers a job posting new indications of what the developers are currently working on and that development is progressing. Much seems to indicate Civilization 7. In this case, however, it is not that simple. We take a close look at the job requirements.
That speaks for Civilization 7
At first glance, it seems most likely that the person you are looking for will work on a new Civilization. After all, Civilization 6 has probably come to an end with the recent release of the Anthology Edition. And that there will be a successor also seems clear.
Many of the requirements also seem to fit well with Civilization. After all, the person is wanted for a triple A strategy game. The clearest indication, however, is probably provided by a later requirement. Even if it is one of the “non-compulsory” ones. Here it is said that »background knowledge and a passion for world history« would be helpful.
There is no explicit mention of a round strategy. But just Civ is a series that contributes to the boom in this genre:
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That speaks for something else
Requirements that mainly have to do with the story of the game are somewhat less clear. In the job advertisement, the following requirements are made of the applicants.
- Loves stories and wants to find new ways in which storytelling works in the strategy genre.
- Is good at writing and creates great dialogues, extended story texts and background information about the world.
- Experienced in writing cinematics and telling a visual story.
These are all things that we don’t immediately associate with Civilization and that sound more like XCOM. Background information or “Lore” as it is called in the original sounds less like a historical and more like a fictional world. Besides, Civ was never well known for his story.
It looks very different at XCOM, where one or the other cinematic can also be seen. There is actually no such thing in Civ. In the case of XCOM, on the other hand, the reference to world history would be irritating.
There is still the potential possibility that the developers will experiment a little with the Civ formula and want to add more stories to the global strategy game. Similar to what the competitors Old World and Humankind are trying to do. Old World in particular has already done an excellent job.
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Old World is a masterful global strategy
Why not a completely new game?
In the last few weeks and months it has been leaked that Firaxis is currently working on several games. Above all, this should include a completely new game. According to an unconfirmed leak, this should be an XCOM with characters from the Marvel universe. It should be said that the same leaker correctly predicted the announcement of Tiny Tina’s Wonderland before E3.
It is currently assumed that 2K will announce the game at gamescom 2021. Karl Slatoff, president of the parent company Take-Two, said, however, that this new game should be released before March 31, 2022. However, the job posting is looking for a senior story writer to help “create an immersive world.” Such a position is usually filled no less than a year before the planned release.
In addition, the wanted person should work with a franchise producer. That would rather suggest that it is a new part in an established franchise.
What do you think? Do you think Civilization 7 or XCOM 3 is more likely – or do you believe in a completely different title? Let us know in the comments!