"Civ 7's 1.1.1 Update Struggles to Compete with Civ 6 and Civ 5 on Steam"

Firaxis, the developer behind Civilization 7, has announced a significant update, version 1.1.1, for the strategy game at a time when it's struggling to attract players on Steam. Currently, Civilization 7 has a 24-hour peak concurrent player count of 16,921, which falls short of making it into Steam's top 100 most-played games. In comparison, the older Civilization 5, released in 2010, boasts a 24-hour peak of 17,423 players, while Civilization 6, released in 2016, significantly outperforms with a peak of 40,676 players. It's evident that many fans of the series are sticking with the previous installment, Civilization 6.

In a recent Steam post, Firaxis detailed the upcoming "additions and refinements" in Update 1.1.1, which include:

• Quick Move Functionality
• New Natural Wonder Mount Everest
• Additional UI Updates & Polish
• Settlement & Commander Renaming
• And more!

Lead designer Ed Beach provided a comprehensive overview of these changes in a video, with full patch notes set to be released soon.

Civilization 7 Update 1.1.1 Patch Notes:

Quick Move is now an optional setting that can be toggled in the game’s menu, allowing units to move to their destinations immediately for a faster gameplay experience.

A new start position option related to map generation has been introduced. The default setting for single-player games is now Standard, offering varied and less predictable continents similar to Civilization 6. For multiplayer, the Balanced setting remains to ensure a level playing field with consistent maps.

Players can now rename settlements and commanders, adding a personalized touch to the game. Additionally, a restart button allows you to begin anew with the same leader and civilization selections but on a newly generated map.

UI improvements include a persistent city and town panel when making purchases, new notifications for cities under attack, indicators for crises, and enhanced resource tooltips. The update also brings significant changes to pacing.

Alongside the update, a new civilization, Bulgaria, joins Nepal and the new leader Simón Bolívar, available as part of the paid Crossroads of the World Collection, launched today, March 25.

Civilization 7's Performance and Reception

Civilization 7 has stirred controversy among series veterans due to its new mechanics and has struggled to maintain player numbers on Steam, where console player counts remain undisclosed. The game currently holds a 'mixed' user review rating on Valve's platform and received a 7/10 from IGN's review.

In a recent interview with IGN, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged the negative feedback but remains optimistic, stating that the "legacy Civ audience" will warm up to the game with more playtime. He described Civilization 7’s early performance as "very encouraging."

For those looking to master the game, our comprehensive guides cover everything from completing every Civ 7 victory, understanding the biggest changes from Civ 6, avoiding 14 crucial mistakes, to exploring Civ 7 map types and difficulty settings.