A strategy titan struggling on Steam is never a good sign, and that’s why the first changes to Civilization VII are already in motion. Firaxis’ 4X strategy game is off to a rough start on Valve’s platform, but the first patch is scheduled for March.

Few strategy franchises have climbed to the pinnacle of gaming, but one that has ruled for decades is Civilization. Created by Sid Meier and developed by Firaxis Games and 2K Games since 2002, the franchise has consistently delivered some of the most acclaimed strategy games upon release—until now. Civilization VII launched in early access on Steam, but a wave of criticism has shaken its foundations, leading many players to put the game on hold. Of course, Firaxis isn’t sitting idly by and has already announced changes to address the situation.

As we reported yesterday, early access, ahead of the game’s official February 11 release, got off to a rocky start. The American studio’s latest 4X strategy installment has been met with pushback from the series’ veteran community, with the first Civilization title in nearly a decade receiving only 46% positive reviews. Among the major complaints, players have voiced concerns about the game’s overall direction, pointed out various bugs, and criticized the lack of available content.

Civilization VII Fixes Are in the Works, But the First One Won’t Arrive Immediately

For a franchise like Civilization, this is a tough predicament, and Firaxis is taking action before things spiral further. The development team has identified three key areas they will prioritize in upcoming updates. First, they plan to refine the user interface to make it more intuitive and improve map readability. Additionally, they will resolve formatting issues and other inconsistencies reported by players.

Another major focus is implementing features requested by the community. Future free updates will introduce the ability to add teams in multiplayer, expand player numbers in certain eras, provide more customization options for city names and religions, and add support for hotseat multiplayer matches.

These improvements will roll out gradually as part of Firaxis’ roadmap for the coming months. The first major patch, scheduled for March, will introduce a range of quality-of-life improvements based on community feedback. These include adjustments to artificial intelligence, improvements to diplomacy and crisis management, and various bug fixes found during early access. Firaxis hopes these updates will fine-tune the experience and provide a more balanced and satisfying gameplay experience. Additionally, the Civilization VII team has reaffirmed its commitment to ongoing support and encourages players to continue sharing their feedback via Steam forums and the official Discord server.

Source: 3djuegos