The development of Civilization 7 has seen significant shifts, particularly regarding its core mechanics. Initially, the game featured an age-transition system where players switched between different civilizations throughout a match, a departure from the series' long-standing tradition. This innovative approach, intended to capture the historical lineage of civilizations, proved divisive among the player base.
According to an expansive oral history by Polygon, the age-transition mechanic stemmed from a long-held frustration of series creator Sid Meier. He expressed a desire for players to maintain unique abilities and powers throughout the entire game, rather than experiencing them only in specific eras. Creative Director Ed Beach carried this concept forward, aiming to let players capitalize on the unique aspects of historical civilizations across all eras of play.
However, executive producer Dennis Shirk noted that this design choice "polarised the audience," with veteran fans expressing a preference for the traditional single-civilization experience. This feedback led Firaxis to introduce an update that made age transitions optional, reintroducing the conventional single-civ mode. This adjustment was particularly challenging for Beach, as it deviated from the game's original vision.
"The Test of Time update was personally challenging for me because it wasn't part of the original vision of the game," Beach stated. "But it was clear that a lot of fans wanted to be able to say, 'I started as a certain set of people and I want to see their story all the way through.' That was a vision we needed to get back into the game, because people definitely wanted to play that way and they had not been given full service by the game as the way it first shipped."
Firaxis engaged in public workshops to develop the Test of Time update, a process Beach described as positive and one the studio intends to repeat. Despite the success of this collaborative approach, Steam reviews for Civilization 7 remain mixed. Firaxis is preparing another update to coincide with the launch of the game's first DLC, Earthrise, in hopes of further improving the game's reception. The studio acknowledges that some design choices in Civilization 7 may have been too drastic, and they are working to re-engage existing players and appeal to a new audience.