Firaxis, the game development studio responsible for the popular Civilization franchise, has confirmed that it is working on a new entry in the series. The company has not yet shared many details about the game, but it did reveal that Ed Beach, who has over 15 years of experience working on Civilization games, will serve as the creative director for the project. Beach was the lead designer for the most recent game in the series, Civilization VI.
The announcement was made by Firaxis’ parent company, Take-Two Interactive, in a press release this week. The release also announced a number of staffing changes at Firaxis, including the departure of longtime studio head Steve Martin and the promotion of Heather Hazen to the role of Chief Operating Officer.
In a statement, Hazen expressed her excitement about taking on the role and leading Firaxis into the future, including the development of the new Civilization game. “We have plans to take the Civilization franchise to exciting new heights for our millions of players around the world,” she said.
The announcement of the new Civilization game comes more than six years after the release of Civilization VI, the most recent entry in the series. While fans of the franchise have been eagerly anticipating news of a new game, Firaxis has been tight-lipped about its plans until now.
The company did, however, also announce the departure of Jake Solomon, one of its best-known designers, who had worked on the XCOM franchise and Marvel’s Midnight Suns. Solomon expressed his gratitude for his time at the studio and his excitement about pursuing new opportunities.
It remains to be seen what new features and gameplay elements the new Civilization game will introduce, but fans of the franchise are no doubt eagerly anticipating its release. As one of the most popular and influential strategy games of all time, the Civilization series has a dedicated following and a long history of providing hours of addictive gameplay.
