In a two-hour presentation that featured no big announcements but plenty of indie titles, this year’s Summer Game Fest was dominated by one revelation: Civilization 7 is coming in 2025.
The legendary strategy simulation series, which debuted in 1991, hasn’t seen a new installment in eight years. While it appears that publisher 2K accidentally leaked the announcement earlier in the day, it was still a treat for fans to see designer Sid Meier on video introducing the new project standing in front of a table full of Bafta awards.
“For more than 30 years, players from all over the world have shared their love and support for Civ,” said Meyer, who started the series at Microprose before founding Fireaxis Games. “I’m extremely excited for Civ fans to see Civilization VII, a game that represents the culmination of three decades of strategic innovation and refinement.”
The game will be released on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch, but no exact release date has been given.
Harry Potter, Lego Horizon Adventures and more
Elsewhere on the show, which began with host and host Jeff Kiely acknowledging the spate of studio closures and layoffs that have blighted the industry over the past year, there were several other announcements.
Lego Horizon Adventures had already been rumored, but this was the official debut of what looks like a typically light-hearted take on the PlayStation sci-fi adventure. It’s a co-op game combining puzzles and combat where protagonist Aloy and friends must face off against Helis, “the leader of a group of sun worshipers who worship an Ancient Evil shrouded in mystery,” according to the PlayStation blog. There are also some town buildings, with Aloy being able to customize Mother’s Heart Village. Coming out this winter.
Also revealed was Warner Bros and Unbroken Studios’ Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, which is due for release on September 3 for PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Switch. It looks like a straight-up simulation of the magical sport, featuring solo play, cooperative online matches with friends, or online play against other players.
There were also new trailers for Monster Hunter Wilds, the horror game Slitterhead from the creators of Silent Hill, and Funcom’s survival MMO Dune Awakening, which were suitably breathless and epic. Ahead of its own event on Sunday, Ubisoft has shown off a new trailer for the open-world adventure Star Wars Outlaws, which features a veritable who’s who of Star Wars cameos, including Lando Calrissian, Jabba the Hutt, and plenty of Jaua.
Indie summer
But the stars of a more recent announcement light show were indie developers. Cuffbust is a fun 20-player co-op prison escape game from the maker of Choo Choo Charles, while Wanderstop is the long-awaited new title from Stanley Parable creator Davey Wredden and Carla Zimonja of Gone Home and Tacoma. Meanwhile, Deer & Boy looked like a beautiful and emotional adventure with highly stylized visuals – a very similar aesthetic to Neva, the next project from Nomada Studio, creators of the acclaimed platformer Gris.
There were also two important announcements from successful companies looking to support smaller studios. Horror maker Blumhouse has announced its slate of six new games, all from independent studios, starting with the 90s-style Fear of the Spotlight. Also, InnerSloth, the creator of the hit song Among Us, announced its intention to support startup teams with new funding, OuterSloth.
But those expecting a show to live up to the hype of old E3 presentations were left perhaps slightly underwhelmed in terms of Triple A’s major reveals – although perhaps that’s a good thing in the current climate of volatility. One of the most eye-catching billboards in downtown Los Angeles in the run-up to the show was put up by indie publisher New Blood Interactive: Under the headline “Gone But Not Forgotten,” the video ad lists several studios recently closed by major publishers, including Arkane Austin, Roll7 and Tango Softworks. The message then became pixelated and replaced with the words “We love you. Miss you. We hate money.”
So no giant surprises then. But if one of the biggest events in the gaming calendar could start with a celebration of the indie titles that have done well on the PC gaming service Steam this year, followed by Geoff Kealy saying, “it’s a reminder to the big publishers that you should treat your developers right”, maybe there is hope after all.
