As Civilization 7 Dataminers Discover Reference to the Atomic Age, Firaxis Says 'We're Excited for Where This Is Going'

Civilization 7's Unannounced Fourth Age: Datamining and Developer Teases

Civilization 7 dataminers have uncovered hints suggesting a fourth, currently unannounced, Age is in the works. This aligns with subtle teases from Firaxis in an IGN interview.

Currently, a full Civ 7 campaign spans three Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. Each Age's conclusion triggers a simultaneous Age Transition for all players and AI. This transition involves selecting a new civilization, choosing which Legacies to carry over, and witnessing a world-map evolution – a unique feature in the Civilization series.

The Modern Age, as currently implemented, concludes before the Cold War, ending around the conclusion of World War II. Lead designer Ed Beach confirmed this in an IGN interview, highlighting Firaxis's meticulous historical research in defining these Age boundaries. Beach emphasized the team's focus on global historical shifts, using the decline of major empires around 300-500 CE as the Antiquity endpoint, the era of revolutions as the Exploration/Modern transition, and World War II's conclusion as the Modern Age's end. The decision to stop short of the Cold War stemmed from its distinct nature compared to the rest of the Modern Age, and the desire to maintain gameplay coherence within each Age.

The possibility of a fourth Age, potentially encompassing the Space Age, was hinted at by executive producer Dennis Shirk, who emphasized the potential for expansion given the Age-specific systems, visuals, units, and civilizations.

Further fueling speculation, datamining by Reddit user ManByTheRiver11 revealed references to an "Atomic Age," including mentions of new leaders and civilizations – a common pattern in Firaxis' DLC strategy.

While addressing negative Steam reviews, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick expressed confidence in Civilization 7's long-term success, anticipating a positive shift in player reception with continued gameplay.

For those seeking to conquer the world in Civ 7, resources are available covering victory strategies, key differences from Civ 6, common mistakes to avoid, map types, and difficulty settings.