We just got a much closer look at Sid Meier's Civilization® VII, all thanks to the Future Games Show at Gamescom - Powered, as it happens, by Sid Meier's Civilization® VII. In two exclusive new interviews, Dennis Shirk, executive producer on the latest iteration of the iconic 4X strategy franchise, explained how lead designer Ed Beach's original pitch for the new entry was all about how to "really bring something new to the table" for players approaching a game of Civilization. Later on, we hear from game designer Carl Harrison, who helps outline the way that Civilization VII splits up each game into different Ages, helping "simulate a little better the rise and fall of a Civilization.

" Those ages, explains narrative designer and historian Rue Taylor, will help players truly zero in on a particular time period in the history of their chosen Civ. That might be reflected in interactions between certain Civilizations, or certain leaders, and allows for "experimentation on a level that has not been seen before in previous Civ titles." We also hear from Beach himself, who explains that those new ages are part of a tool that mean that no player will be left behind, and there are always opportunities to win the game, at almost any point as it's played out.

"When you get to a new Age, you get new strategies, you can pivot and change things up, and in the Final Age you get a chance for that sudden death victory, and even if you were trailing, the chance to get the victory at the end.