Civilization 7 data mining uncovers new leaders, Atomic Age

A user of the r/civ subreddit shared their findings after exploring the Civilization 7 code over the weekend. This digging found mention of new civilizations like the Ottomans, Maori, Tonga, Iceland, and Pirate Republic; leaders Edward “Blackbeard” Teach, Sayyida al-Hurra, and Whina Cooper; a “wonders pack” focused on the Asian continent; and even a whole new Atomic Age supposedly meant to follow the Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern eras already in the game.

A representative for Civilization 7 developer Firaxis Games declined to comment on this info.

“We very deliberately did not push into the Cold War time period because that is one that just felt very different than the rest of the Modern Age,” Civilization 7 lead designer Ed Beach recently told IGN. “It just sort of dips its toes in the Cold War, like you’ve identified with the thermonuclear device being the one that ends the military victory path there.”

“You can imagine the possibilities with this, honestly,” executive producer Dennis Shirk added when asked directly about a fourth Age. “The way that the design team set it up so that each age is chock-full of systems, visuals, units, Civs, all specific to that age, and what you could do with that and where you could take it… we can’t talk about the specifics. We can just talk about it in generalities. We’re excited for where this is going to go.”

Civilization 7 has been playable by folks who purchased the Deluxe or Founders editions since Feb. 6, during which time it’s garnered a mixed reception from players due to its user interface. Firaxis has promised to address these issues. In his review for Polygon, Cameron Kunzelman described Civilization 7 as “more realized” than previous entries despite some growing pains.