The era of 10,000-year historical campaigns has come to an end. Civilization VII’s most ambitious rival, Millennia, once poised to dethrone the legendary franchise, has officially been abandoned. Paradox Interactive has confirmed that the game will no longer receive updates or support from its development team.

Strategy and historical management games hold a special place in the hearts of many players, but not every recent release has met expectations. While Civilization VII itself has struggled with world-building issues and a lack of content, the situation turned even bleaker with the death of what many believed could have been a worthy competitor: Millennia. Developed by C Prompt Games and published by Paradox, the studio behind Crusader Kings, the game has just received its eighth and final update before official support was discontinued.

Millennia launched with ambitions of challenging Sid Meier’s iconic series at a time when Civilization VII’s controversial debut left critics and fans disappointed. Yet despite this favorable climate, Paradox’s title never managed to seize the opportunity. Even with its robust 4X formula — which let players guide their civilizations across 10,000 years of history — its peak player activity on Steam never came close to matching 2K’s numbers, with Civilization continuing to dominate the 4X space even during its weakest moments.

Faced with these realities, Paradox has decided to call it quits. The game’s eighth update introduces minor technical improvements, persistent bug fixes, and modest support for community mods. However, the studio made it clear this would be the last time it actively intervenes in the game — and that official communication with players will also cease.

Fans Are Furious Over Paradox’s Decision

Although Millennia was initially well received — boasting 68% positive reviews on Steam — the recent announcement has triggered a wave of backlash. The title now sits at just 29% positive reviews, as frustrated players express their disappointment with the Swedish publisher’s handling of the situation. With multiple ongoing projects competing for resources, Paradox concluded that continuing support for Millennia was no longer viable.

The decision has hit the game’s community hard. Fans have flooded forums and social media with criticism, many arguing that with a proper expansion or extended support, Millennia could have become a true challenger to Civilization. Instead, the dream of a new heavyweight in the 4X genre has collapsed — and the strategy space has lost one of its few contenders capable of challenging Firaxis’s long-standing dominance.

Source: 3djuegos