Civilization VII Couldn’t Even be Possible Had Sid Meier Not Taken a Major Gameplay Risk Early on in the Series

Sid Meier’s early Civilization games introduced a gameplay mechanic that would eventually become a strategy genre standard: hexagonal tiles. While the original game in the series used squares for movement, the switch to hexes in future editions was a successful move. 

Sid Meier, the designer of Civilization, reflects on the early days of game development when imagination played a big part because of the restricted technology possibilities of the times. The change to hexes for the map grid gave players more strategic options and a more natural feeling of movement.

Sid Meier’s Reflection on The Switch to Hexes in Civilization

In an interview with The Guardian, Sid Meier talked about the risk of using hexes. He talked about how there was an initial reluctance to use hexes in the first Civilization game, which prompted them to use squares instead. But with time, they chose to switch to hexes, a decision that has since become a defining feature of the series. Speaking about this decision, he said:

Up to that time there had been very few strategy games: there was SimCity and a couple of others. We were afraid to use hexes! We used squares in the first Civilization because it was too scary to put hexes in there.

As someone born in 1954, Meier’s childhood activities consisted of playing board and war games. He talked about how the way of the times affected his approach to video game design.

His love of history and exploration were part of why he made games such as Pirates! and the Civilization series, which made players think of creative tactics.

Meier talked about how the world has become more accepting of strategy games over the years. Making Civilization at the time was a risky choice as strategy games were uncommon back then. He said one of the concerns they had was implementing the complex nature of a board game into a computer game. He noted that the decision they made to switch from squares to hexes was one of the things that eventually led to the success of Civilization.

Looking Forward to Civilization VII‘s Release

Summer Game Fest 2024 saw a lot of new announcements for upcoming games and would you believe it, there’s a new Civilization game coming soon. Fans got to see an exclusive trailer for Civilization VII.

While the trailer didn’t include a lot of details about the game itself publisher 2K says that fans can anticipate a full gameplay demo in August. The game will be available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch when it comes out in 2025.

The announcement video for Civilization VII also featured an appearance from Sid Meier himself who was quick to talk about his excitement. “For more than 30 years, players from around the world have shared their love and support for Civ,” he stated. “I’m incredibly excited for Civ fans to see Civilization VII, a game that represents the culmination of three decades of strategy innovation and refinement.”

And so, Sid Meier’s early decision to make the switch from squares to hexes was a turning point for the Civilization series and its future. And as we can see today, the risk paid off. Civilization is a massively successful strategy game franchise and is one of the biggest, if not the biggest one of its kind. As fans now wait for Civilization VII, Meier’s efforts and influence will add another chapter to this iconic franchise.