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 evidence suggesting a fourth, unannounced Age is in the works, a claim subtly supported by Firaxis in an IGN interview.

Currently, a full Civ 7 campaign progresses through 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 game world evolution—a unique feature in the Civilization series.

The Modern Age, based on in-game units and victory conditions, concludes before the Cold War. Lead designer Ed Beach confirmed this in the IGN interview, explaining Firaxis' decision to end the current game with World War II. Beach detailed the historical reasoning behind the Age divisions, emphasizing the consultation with senior historian Andrew Johnson to ensure a globally balanced perspective. The transitions, he explained, were chosen to reflect significant historical turning points where global power dynamics shifted dramatically.

The question of a potential fourth Age, possibly encompassing the Space Age, was naturally raised. While Executive Producer Dennis Shirk avoided direct confirmation, he hinted at future expansion possibilities, emphasizing the Age-specific systems, visuals, units, and civilizations already established and the potential for further development.

Adding fuel to the speculation, dataminer ManByTheRiver11 unearthed references to an "Atomic Age," including unannounced leaders and civilizations. This aligns with Civ 7's current endpoint and Shirk's comments. The addition of new content through DLC is expected, as per Firaxis' established pattern.

In the meantime, Firaxis is addressing community concerns that have resulted in mixed Steam reviews. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged the negative feedback but expressed confidence in the game's long-term success, highlighting its encouraging early performance and predicting that the core Civilization fanbase will grow to appreciate it with increased playtime.

For players seeking assistance in their global domination efforts, IGN offers guides covering all Civ 7 victory conditions, key differences from Civ 6, common mistakes to avoid, map types, and difficulty settings.