Civilization Wii was too much effort

By Robert Purchese Published 5 February, 2008

Firaxis explains indefinite hold up.

Firaxis has said it put the Wii version of Civilization Revolution on indefinite hold because it required too much effort to get it up to standard.

Nintendo platforms were added after a year of 360 and PS3 development because of surprisingly strong sales, according to programmer Scott Lewis, but they were always unlikely to take precedent if push came to shove.

"The simple truth is that we had too many projects going on and not enough people," Lewis told MTV Multiplayer (spotted by videogaming247).

"When we were stretched for resources and time, of the platforms [we were working on], the Wii version had the most question marks, so it got put on hold. If the 360/PS3/DS versions do well, obviously a Wii version will be more likely.

"I think the Wii would be perfect for a game like Civ, but we'd have to throw out all of our interface work (and some of our game design decisions) to make it feel like it truly fits on the platform," he added.

2K Games announced it was holding the Wii version back last Tuesday, but the three other versions are still on course for this spring.

Civilization Revolution is a console-designed instalment in the acclaimed simulation series, focusing on getting the controls right and offering slightly more streamlined matches for a couch-based audience.

But it is not being dumbed down, as the publisher is keen to point out, and will have all the feature bells and whistles you might expect.

Pop over to our Civilization Gallery to get a load of how it is shaping up.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (26) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #1 4 years ago

    no 'Revolution' for wii?

    how ironic.

  • consignia #2 4 years ago

    They couldn't be bothered to add the mandatory minigames or tack on the obligatory vague gesture controls. The shake-hands gesture to enter diplomatic negotiations will have to wait.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #3 4 years ago

    A shame but it's understandable. Traditional menus will be too cumbersome when you have to use them all the time so I think they are right to say that it would need a different interface. It's sad though that they don't have the ressources to do so.

  • Arwin #4 4 years ago

    @Mentalist(air): my thoughts exactly. :D

    Want this game though (which is fine because I have everything BUT Wii).

    Hopefully it's good!

  • Tetragammatron #5 4 years ago

    Effort being expended on a Wii title, now that'd certainly be something.

  • Genji #6 4 years ago

    I HATE THE WII AND NINTENDO. I JUST THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE A PERFECT TIME TO POINT THAT OUT. I'M SURE YOU'RE ALL VERY INTERESTED.

  • BurningR #7 4 years ago

    Thank you genji, I really DID need to know that. I feel... enlightened.
    Edited by 1 at 05/02/08 @ 13:25

  • Eraser #8 4 years ago

    I think they've given a valid reason for putting the project on hold.
    What I'm hoping though,, is that once the game's out for XBox360 and PS3 they'll redesign the game to truly fit the Wii's control mechanism.

  • consignia #9 4 years ago

    The best control system would be a mouse like pointer system, with abilty to control the pointer with the nunchuck in case your arms get tired. That said, Civ is a game to play on a computer, the thinking requried almost demands you sit up straight.

  • BonzoBanana #10 4 years ago

    I'm guessing based on my own instincts rather than any real evidence (at least I'm honest) that wii development is all about simple projects which don't take long to develop or need too much resources. At the end of the day nintendo don't give third parties much money for their software so its best to write simple quick projects. The wii is underpowered so if you have to start writing assembler based routines and think about getting the most out of the console your going to start losing money as its going to cost a lot more to develop for.

  • Royal Fool #11 4 years ago

    Strong sales put pressure on people to greenlight a Wii version, but then they saw the third party sales and said "Aw, screw it" once the game got into trouble.

  • Muddtallica #12 4 years ago

    That is a shame, because I do think that this sort of thing could do well on Wii...I'm surprised that more developers in general haven't made point-and-click-based games for the system thus far, given how easy it would likely be.

  • onyxbox #13 4 years ago

    but they managed to squeeze it onto DS right?

  • Nithron #14 4 years ago

    It might actually be easier to port one of the PC Civs. You wouldn't need to change the interface that much, 'cause the Wii virtually has a mouse, and also, the system requirements for the older 2D games are quite low, so it would run on Wii pretty well.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #15 4 years ago

    My arms are getting sore just thinking about waving a wiimote pointer about for the length of time one ususlly spends playing PC Civ games.

    After a few hours (which is perfectly normal thanks to Civ's outrageously addictive nature), my arms get tired just using the mouse and I end up moving stuff around with the numeric keypad, H, space and such.

  • smelly #16 4 years ago

    @BonzoBanana: That was the most ill informed piece of garbage i've read on the internet for a long time. It started bad and just kept getting worse and worse.. Well Done!


    @ everyone else : Where does it say they stopped development because the wii wasnt "powerful enough"? he says (and i quote) "I think the Wii would be perfect for a game like Civ". The problem isnt to do with power (its going to be on the DS ffs!), but to do with the fact that the interface, etc will have to be redesigned for use with the wiimote rather than joypad, etc etc..

  • PameBoy #17 4 years ago

    Once again, lazy developers give Nintendo's third-party support a bad name.

  • bitesize #18 4 years ago

    My arms are getting sore just thinking about waving a wiimote pointer about for the length of time one ususlly spends playing PC Civ games.

    does anyone actually wave their arms around while using a wiimote? unless you actually have to do big motions, surely just moving your wrist around to point works just as well, enabling your arm to rest comfortably by your side...

  • BonzoBanana #19 4 years ago

    @smelly: Don't get too high on your own opinion will you?! Christ what a total know it all. What are you the fountain of all knowledge or something. So why does the wii keep getting simplistic quick and easy projects by third party developers and why do developers complain about low financial rewards for nintendo projects still? I mean come on the wii is lacking in major third party projects especially from europe and america and yet the wii is just about the main format now. I'm not surprised your called smelly you talk out of your arrse.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #20 4 years ago

    just moving your wrist around to point works just as well

    I exaggerate using the term waving, but even resting on your lap, your wrist must be kept in a tension position pointing at the screen if you want to use it as a pointer, and that tension can tire out your entire arm. Certainly, my natural wrist position when I'm playing Mario Galaxy or Zelda doesn't coincide with being pointed at the screen, which occasionaly makes it irritating moving to point at the screen when that mechanic is needed. That's one of the reasons I wished I'd just got Zelda for the cube.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #21 4 years ago

    why do developers complain about low financial rewards for nintendo projects still

    It's because third party projects don't sell well enough, not because Nintendo doesn't give them a big enough cut.

    And why don't they sell enough? Because they're crowded out of the market by shelfloads of other shallow, graphically undemanding party game collections. It's a vicious circle of thirdparty neglect, with only Nintendo's own flagship titles poking out of the sea of mush.

  • smelly #22 4 years ago

    "So why does the wii keep getting simplistic quick and easy projects by third party developers"

    Because the marketing departments tell them that's the only type of games which will sell on the wii

    "and why do developers complain about low financial rewards for nintendo projects still?"

    Because no-one wants to play those types of games.


    But as you've asked me to clarify what i meant when i said you were talking garbage:

    "At the end of the day nintendo don't give third parties much money for their software so its best to write simple quick projects."


    3rd parties pay nintendo/sony/microsoft to make games on the platforms (not the other way around)


    "The wii is underpowered"

    I disagree with that, but it IS less powerful than the 360/ps3 so if thats what you mean, then i wont argue. But being less powerful than the other 2 doesnt mean it's underpowered imho.


    "so if you have to start writing assembler based routines and think about getting the most out of the console your going to start losing money as its going to cost a lot more to develop for."

    erm.. um..erm.. where to start? Can i just say that's a complete load of nonsense and be done with it? Or do you want me to write a huge explanation of why you're talking crap there (Which will be too big and no-one will bother reading?)

  • smelly #23 4 years ago

    But as i said..

    It's almost definately nothing to do with power, and everything to do with controller issues (remember this game is designed for console usage - to make it properly "wii-i-fied" it'd have to move into "mouse territory, etc";).

    Lack of harddisk probably problematic i'd guess too.

  • SwedBear #24 4 years ago

    While a bummer I still think it's better to concnetrate on the other versions now and then take time to create something specifically suited for the Wii later (if it sells well). The last thing we need is another Wii game where the Wiimote control does not feel thought through and more tacked onto a regular type of game.

  • smelly #25 4 years ago

    "The last thing we need is another Wii game where the Wiimote control does not feel thought through and more tacked onto a regular type of game."

    Well said!

    (or worse - "gesture controls in battles" .. aka "how to kill worms" *smile*)

  • bionutz #26 3 years ago

    I have played one game already of civilization ds. I couldn't find the map overview yet so I really have to scroll a lot. What I can say, it's pretty hard on your forearms and neck to play it for hours (I am playing it with the stylus). I will try in the next one to play using only the keyboard, since it seems to be focuse on that first. A big flaw is that when using the stylus and selecting a menu, it doesn't activate the option but it waits for an additional confirmation "click" - obviously originally made to be selected by the D-Pad and then the A button. The game was a bit rushed - any normal tester would have noticed this. The map overview should be shown on the top screen, instead of the useless infos. It's also not possible to analyse terrain when in the city menu, so you have to get out, click on the terrain tiles to see if desert or whatever, in order to chose what you want to create in order to maximize ressources. Were it not for my emotional connection I would give it an 8, but otherwise it's a 9. I would have gone to implement Civ 1 PC for NDS instead of a new version - less animation but perfect fit for nintendo DS, also from the pixels and economical sprites.
    I played with the aztecs. But those English bastards kept destroying my armored vehicles and canons units with longbow archers, that was weird. No matter how many arrows you fire at an armored vehicle, it should stay 100% health or at least not be destroyed by them. I had several war declarations with them, but I couldn't conquer by force any city - I did it in the end by posting sentinels on their fields to prevent them from harvesting them and increasing culture at the nearest city. In the end they decided by themselves to become Aztec hehehe.