Summary
- Civilization fans will finally be able to ditch Civ 6 when Civ 7 launches in February.
- When the game does launch, Firaxis’ resident historian is hopeful that it’ll push players to learn about the real-life history that inspires the game.
- The ability to influence players to potentially open a textbook is what drives Dr. Andrew Johnson, a real-life professor, in his work.
After nearly a decade of waiting, Civilization fans will finally get their due when Civilization 7 launches in 2025. More so, it won’t be long until it’s available, as the game is slated for a Feb. 11 release. It stands as one of TheGamer staff’s most anticipated 2025 games, particularly for its new take on things.
That said, when the game does ultimately release, Dr. Andrew Johnson, Firaxis’ resident historian and real-life professor at Stockholm University’s Department of Social Anthropology, is hopeful that it’ll push players to engage with the real-life history that the game is based on.
Pick Up A Textbook, Please
Speaking to PC Gamer, Johnson shared his hopes that the game could inspire gamers to become engaged with history.
“I teach undergraduates in my other life, and my God, man, they don’t read,” he said. “… If that can provoke somebody into an interest in history, that is what’s important here. This is not the textbook. This is the gateway drug into the textbook. If textbooks were drugs.”
Indeed, Civilization is chock-full of historical figures and time periods. The likes of Harriet Tubman, Benjamin Franklin and Ibn Battuta will all be in the game. Those figures will also have their various eras also present, making the game a great way to better understand the world in a more fantastical way.
It’s for that reason that Johnson decided to join Firaxis as its historian — the ability to influence people to learn about the world. “That’s why I’m here, really,” he said. “I just want people to appreciate the world and the strangeness of the world. Because if you appreciate how the past was different, or how other places are different, you can change your everyday day as well.
“Then that opens up new worlds. That makes new worlds possible. If you think this is the only way it can be, the only way it should be, then you’re locked into a static existence, and that’s dull.”
Ultimately, only time will tell if Civilization 7 does push gamers in that direction. One thing is clear, though: Johnson, along with the rest of Firaxis, are doing their darnedest to make that a reality.
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