It has been a couple weeks since Civilization 7 came and went. Unlike the sixth game, it has barely had any impact. The game is already trending below the sixth game and now the fifth game. Civilization VII had its defenders early on, mostly the influencers. However, many of them are no longer interested in making footage about the game except for those who feel they have obligation to provide information for those who want to play it. It is clear that Civilization VII is going to be known as a dark age in the franchise in my opinion.
When I mean a Dark Age, I mean its a game that is going to be obscure in comparison to Civilization 8. In my opinion, Civilization 8 is probably going not take as long to make as Civilization 7 as the current game is already having issues maintaining its player base. Civilization VII is going to be a time when the fan base began clamoring for the game to return to its roots with innovation. Instead of attempting to help make the game better, the developers are only making half-hearted attempts to make the game better. They are not interested in making this game up to the standards of the community. I expect that the game will probably get one expansion, and they will move on, not having any responsibility for making it better and move towards Civilization VIII.
Cyberpunk 2077 had many issues on release yet that game sold like hot cakes. The game while not my taste, had a reasonable core. With patches and the expansion, Phantom Liberty, it now more playable. Civilization 7 however, did not sell well and is basically now below 10 year old games on Steam.
Civilization is a PC-centric but the developers only wanted to expand it to other platforms here.
Civilization VII is not going to be rescued by patches. Maybe modders can improve it but not the official people. The game has three mini games and is not changeable in the way the older games were.
Civilization V was criticized for being too simplistic. However, the game’s foundation was basically the same as the previous games. The expansions and dlcs did not greatly change that structure. The expansions were able to make the game more accessible to players of the older games as well as bring more features into the game.
However, Civilization VII is not have this luxury here.
Modders are not interested in this game like in the past.
Byzantines are unlikely to added to the game also. The only age that is even available for them, the exploration era, is basically not applicable to the era the Byzantines were in.
The Byzantine Empire was a product of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. When the Spanish set sights on islands of Caribbean, the Ottomans had taken Constantinople some decades prior. It makes no sense for the Byzantines to be in the exploration era.
By having these three eras be tied to one gameplay element, it is clear that Civilization VII’s development team has put an emphasis on console gaming rather than its proper home on the PC.
Civilization VII’s player count is increasingly getting worse than even the 15-year-old Civilization V. This is a direct result of the emphasis on consolization of the game.
If there one game that I could compare this game to is the Science-Fiction oriented game, Civilization: Beyond Earth which released in 2014. That game got a higher peak player count than Civilization VII. That was also in a time when Steam was a smaller platform in comparison to the present. It is not a game that truly impressing anyone. Console hardly makes up for the lack in PC players.
There is a chance that they may put the Byzantines in the game, but it does not fit the themes that they put into the gameplay. Instead of giving players a choice, they put the player into gameplay choices that they are not interested in. The gameplay is going to need a Stellaris style change for me or others to be interested in taking a glance at it again. Honestly, it is just the worst game in the series.
The Byzantines should have not their name in a game such as this. We need representations that actually elevate the Byzantines, considering how obscure they are.
Byzantine-Empire.com 