In the eight years since Civilization 6 was first released, the 4X genre has changed immensely. Sid Meier's strategy management series of exploration, expansion, exploitation, and extermination has always dominated - but over the last decade, rivals have risen. In Civilization parlance, we've entered a new era.
There's more viable alternatives to Civilization now than there have ever been - and that puts developer Firaxis in an interesting position going into the rare moment of the introduction of an all-new Civilization. In a first look, it certainly appears as though Firaxis is stepping up to the plate without a shred of complacency. Civilization 7 is about change.
It's clear that Firaxis has taken a long, hard look at several of its recent contemporary rivals. No Civ tradition was off the table, it seems. This combined with day-one releases on every platform imaginable, not just PC, and a dedication to cross-platform play and progression, has defined the game.
It's forced the team to think differently. In a short presentation detailing what's new this time around, the changes come thick and fast. With Civ sequels, I'd argue that typically each game is defined by a handful of smaller changes that combine to provide an overall greater difference in feel and flow.
With Civ 7, however, a bunch of much larger and more significant changes are on offer. There's multiple shifts that I'd categorize as on the same scale as the series' shift to a hexagonal play grid in the fifth entr.