Most Civilization players don't finish a single game, going by Civ 6 data, and perhaps that's the best way to play
1 min read
Summary
An interview with New York Times (NYT) revealed that fewer than 40% of players finish a single game of Sid Meier’s Civilization 6, according to creative director Ed Beach and executive producer Dennis Shirk.
This is partly due to players feeling exhausted by the chronological game structure, which has led to the introduction of Civilization 7’s new Age system to counter these feelings.
Indian game developer Nikhil Murthy told the NYT that Civilization’s endgame “winner takes all” mindset flattens the fun players can have with the game systems, while New School professor McKenzie Wark said the most intriguing players are those who lose interest in winning and instead explore the rule set.
Civ 7 creative director Ed Beach said the decision to not finish a game signals that players are no longer having fun, which the company wants to counter by making every part of the game exciting as the initial stages.
The success of this approach in Civ 7 is yet to be seen, with the game’s forthcoming review set to reveal more.
