Civilization has always been a series dedicated to its history. While of course you can change history however you wish in a given game, you also won't see George Washington leading the China civ, for example.
However, there are going to be some big changes with leaders in the upcoming Civilization VII. Speaking with executive producer Dennis Shirk, we asked where the line gets drawn between having a historically realistic game, and one that lets Firaxis make the changes they want to.
"Keeping it strictly within historical lines is still very important, no matter what it is. Where it's political lines, that's where we're flexible," Shirk said. "There's so many huge, important personalities in all of history that never had an interest in politics. Benjamin Franklin, little interest in politics, mainly a scientist, big science leader... By including these, we not only include the width of our diversity in terms of the types of people and personalities and cultures we can represent, but also we let the players have a little bit more fun with what-ifs."
Civilization VII will also let you change your civilization whenever you enter a new age. If you want to hear more about Age transitions, check out the full interview below:
Civilization VII launches for PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC on the 11th of February 2025.
