Summary
- A popular modder has been hired by Firaxis as a Tech Artist.
- Sukritact specialises in simplified user interface mods, something that Civilization 7 is sorely lacking.
- Tan’s hiring has likely been in the works for a while, but their skill set is desperately needed at Firaxis.
Civilization 7‘s release has been a mixed bag for developer Firaxis. Some players love the new game-defining ages feature, while other players detest it and have likely returned to Civilization 5 or 6 in protest. However, everyone, both proponents and detractors of Civilization 7, seems to agree that the game’s user interface is not up to scratch. UI issues are one of the most common complaints in Civilization 7’s Steam reviews, which currently sit at ‘Mixed‘.
Well, Firaxis may have found a solution in one of the community’s most renowned modders, Sukrit ‘Act’ Tan (commonly known as Sukritact) has been hired by Firaxis as a Tech Artist (nice spot, VG247). Tan confirmed their appointment in a Bluesky post, saying “Way back in high school, I started modding Civilization 5, and honestly, that’s what started me down this path of working in game dev. So today, I am beyond thrilled to be able to say that I’ve joined Firaxis as a Technical Artist!”
Finally, MY turn to do one of those fancy profile update videos! Waaaaay back in high school, I started modding #Civ5, and honestly, that’s what started me down this path of working in game dev. So today, I am beyond thrilled to be able to say that I’ve just joined Firaxis as a Technical Artist!
— Sukrit “Act” Tan (@actsukrit.bsky.social) 2025-03-04T21:58:41.885Z
In all likelihood, Tan’s hiring has probably been in the works since before Civilization 7 launched and isn’t explicitly because of the game’s unpopular UI. However, user interface is under the purview of technical artists, and Tan is known for creating mods that improve UI.
Tan’s “Simple UI Adjustments” for Civilization 6 has been downloaded over 650,000 times, while their “Global Relations Panel” diplomacy UI overhaul mod has also been downloaded a similar number of times. Tan specialises in creating UI screens that make important information easier to access and digest, a convenience that players complain Civilization 7 does not offer.
Tan creates more than UI mods, however. Sukritact is a prolific modder and popular figure in the community, having uploaded over 250 items to Steam’s Workshop over the years. Although everyone is happy that Sukritact is now being compensated for their hard work, they’re also disappointed Tan won’t be creating mods for the community anymore. However, if Sukritact is empowered by Firaxis to make improvements in areas that are lacking, then perhaps we won’t need their mods anymore.
Firaxis has had troubles of its own recently, as the studio seemingly released unfinished content onto Civilization 7’s live patch yesterday.
Grand Strategy
Turn-Based Strategy
4X
- Released
-
February 11, 2025
- ESRB
-
t