Civilization VII will receive the Arc of Tomorrow update and Earthrise DLC in 2027
- In 2027, Civilization VII will receive the Arc of Tomorrow update with the Atomic Age.
- New nuclear mechanics, the film industry, and a settlement transformation system will be introduced.
- The first paid expansion Earthrise will focus on space and ecology.
- A turn delay has been introduced for nuclear strikes, allowing the opponent to defend.
After a year and a half of support for Civilization VII, the developers at Firaxis Games announced extensive plans for expanding the game. Despite mixed user reviews, the studio does not intend to stop the development of the project and announced a series of major updates and the first paid expansion. The announcements are timed to the 35th anniversary of the Civilization series, the first part of which was released in September 1991.
A release of update version 1.5.0 is planned in the near future, which will focus on improving the quality of life for players. After its release, the pace of patch releases will slow down, as the Firaxis team will shift to long-term projects. This suggests that the developers are preparing something substantial for future updates.
The Age of Atom and new gameplay
The main event of 2027 is the release of the Arc of Tomorrow update, which will be more significant than the Test of Time update that was released in May. Its key feature will be the addition of a new era — the Atomic Era, covering the period from the 1950s to the 2050s. Before the full release of the update, Firaxis will conduct closed testing.
Along with the Atomic Era, new gameplay systems will be introduced. Nuclear gameplay will be developed through additional offensive and defensive capabilities, including units like nuclear submarines. Interestingly, nuclear strikes will no longer be instantaneous — a one-turn delay has been introduced, allowing the opponent to take defensive measures or launch a counter-strike.
Diplomacy and espionage will also gain a nuclear dimension. Players will be able to propose global disarmament agreements or send spies to sabotage others' nuclear programs. There will be empire management tools that allow transforming settlements into city-states, providing flexible control over the settlement limit and access to their abilities. This will open up the possibility of participating in local conflicts without declaring full-scale war.
Film industry and goods production
Arc of Tomorrow will add a filmmaking system to the game. Directors will seek ideal locations for shooting, the requirements of which depend on the genre of the film. Completed films provide bonuses based on their quality, adding a new cultural aspect to the development of civilization.
A system for producing goods from available resources will also be implemented, allowing the creation of specialized materials such as enriched uranium. The update will bring new civilizations and leaders, additional content, and other gameplay improvements.
DLC Earthrise: space and environment
The first paid expansion for Civilization VII will be Earthrise, dedicated to the theme of space. The developers noted that humanity has always looked to the sky with admiration, and this feeling permeates the history of civilization from Antiquity to the near future. The expansion will be released in 2027 and already has a page on Steam.
Earthrise will add special gameplay systems related to space for each era, providing various bonuses. This will make space development appealing not only for achieving a scientific victory. The central theme of the DLC will be adaptation to the environment. New technologies and unit abilities will emerge for altering landscapes and improving territories, as well as engineering structures to combat natural disasters and the effects of global warming.
Source: StopGame
