"This is the year of Civ," says Meier

By Ellie Gibson Published 12 March, 2010

Reckons it's a great time to be in games.

Speaking at the Game Developers Conference, Sid Meier has declared that 2011 is "the year of Civilization".

He made the statement during the Q&A session which followed his keynote speech. When asked what he's looking forward to playing this year Meier said, "In the immediate future I think this is the year of Civlization.

"But looking further out, there's so much energy and dynamism in this industry... Every day there's something new, and that's a big part of being excited about being in games," he added.

'"This is the year of Civ," says Meier' Screenshot sid

Sid Meier, giving it all GDC.

According to Meier, new platforms such as Facebook and Xbox Live have opened up new gaps in the market. "It's a really cool time to be a game designer. We've certainly seen the indie games movement put a lot of new energy into gaming," he said. "The whole big budget thing has gone away and that's opened up a whole lot of new opportunities."

As announced last week, Civilization V is slated for release this autumn. Meier said it's coming along nicely, telling the audience, "We're playing the game almost daily right now and putting in all sorts of cool stuff."

He also said it takes a certain kind of person to enjoy the Civ games. "If you play Civilization you are an egomaniac," Meier stated. "It says on the box, 'Build a civilization to stand the test of time.' If you're going, 'Oh yeah, I can do that' - you are an egomaniac."

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (31) Latest comment 2 years ago

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

  • Hantheman #1 2 years ago

    It's always the year of Civilization. One of the greatest, if not the greatest, game series of all time.
    Edited by 1 at 12/03/10 @ 20:38

  • jellyhead #2 2 years ago

    Is it not the year of the PS3 then? :)

    If Civ V was coming out in the summer i'd cry as most of my mates would be inside playing it. Just one more turn.

  • Felwyn #3 2 years ago

    I'm still waiting for Alpha Centauri 2. . . I don't care if EA has the rights to the name, call it Space Civilization and get on with it!

  • Les #4 2 years ago

    Civ is the best :)

  • bunglebonce #5 2 years ago

    @Felwyn

    If there is only one sequel to to come in the rest of the history of computer games, it must be Alpha Centauri 2.

  • Murton #6 2 years ago

    It's been a while since I got really excited about a PC game, but Civ V and now JA3 have changed that.

    Wouldn't mind seeing more of the Civ spin offs either, Alpha Centauri and Colonisation were both great games too, would love to see them remade with this shiny new engine.

  • Shikasama #7 2 years ago

    *looks at gameing charts*

    The big budget thing has gone away has it?

  • Stoatboy #8 2 years ago

    Every time I get a new PC I install all the latest iterations of Sid's games as a priority. They never get old.

    And whilst I love Colonization and Railroads!, and Pirates! slighty more than those two, Civ is, and always will be the daddy. If I list my top 10 games ever, my heart wants to put something old-school and arcade in first place (Robotron, basically) since those games were why I got into gaming, and I love them to bits. My head would always choose Civ though. Nothing trumps Civ. Whilst sometimes I don't fancy playing game X or Y I never don't want to play Civ.

    Unfortunately it's also the only game I've had to ban myself from playing simply because I have to go to work each morning, and repeated 4 a.m. finishes really make that tricky.

    I'll have to find a way to cope come the release date. WANT!
    Edited by 1 at 13/03/10 @ 02:00

  • Faldrath #9 2 years ago

    @Murton: Colonization was remade not long ago:

    http://ww w.eurogamer.net/articles/civili...

  • chaywa #10 2 years ago

    I can either get this or get a 2:1 in my degree. Decisions, decisions

  • hiddenranbir #11 2 years ago

    Alpha Centauri don't need no sequel! It is standing the test of time! Great narration, socially relevant to this day!

    Contact me if you want to PBEM. (I've got one game going already!)

  • OnlyMe #12 2 years ago

    Press + to end this turn.

  • dominalien #13 2 years ago

    Is it not the year of the PS3 then? :)

    Well, if Civ came out on the PS3 it might have a shot as well ;-)

  • DoKtoR #14 2 years ago

    Apparently I am an egomaniac... thanks Sid!

  • GiarcYekrub #15 2 years ago

    Civ 2 was the best Civ 4 was annoying

  • Les #16 2 years ago

    "Civ 2 was the best Civ 4 was annoying"

    Haven't progressed to Civ 4 yet, still dabbling with 3, but I agree that 2 is the best so far (to clarify: from the games I've actually played, being Civ, Civ 2, Alpha Centauri & Civ 3).
    Edited by 1 at 13/03/10 @ 13:36

  • Stoatboy #17 2 years ago

    2 was ace, 3 was good (I really liked the impact of culture), 4 (with add-ons) is ace again. Having not played 2 and 4 back to back and being separated by a few years it's a tough call to make as to which is better. I spent much more time playing 2 admittedly, but then that's because I could afford to back then. If I had to take only one of them it would be 4 though, tbh.

  • youhavenomail #18 2 years ago

    I've checked with my Roman numerals and apparently the year of CIV was way back in 104.

  • faselei #19 2 years ago

    For me, Every year is the year of Civ.

    Who am I to disagree with Meiers? But I don't necessarily agree, Civ style intelligent, sim and strategy gaming has been on the wane for years now. There are less and less reasons to have my big black box for me.

    Although my upgrade cycle is exactly the same as the new Civ coming out cycle. Funny that!

    PS. RE the above posts, my favourite was Civ3 :)

  • UncleLou #20 2 years ago

    Civ 2 was the best Civ 4 was annoying

    Civ IV with BtS expansion > CIV 1-3

  • Kanjin #21 2 years ago

    You need more workers.

  • RedSparrows #22 2 years ago

    Bring back the video advisors!

  • Jackface #23 2 years ago

    Surely the only thing they're doing is tarting up the graphics engine and making it more complicated? I mean what can they really add to it?

  • spenner #24 2 years ago

    we need more civic buildings!...

  • cairbre1977 #25 2 years ago

    The Civ series is amazing and I have high hopes for this version.

    I now own civ on the pc, mac, DS and iphone. I really cant help myself.

    I never played Alpha Centauri, should I give it a go? I remember when it came out I thought it was going to be a cash in and never got it but all I read are good opinions of it so looks like I was wrong
    Edited by 2 at 13/03/10 @ 21:22

  • conkdonk #26 2 years ago

    Alpha Centauri was great and in many ways unbeaten. But in other (more accurate ways) there was a lot wrong with Alpha Centauri. The AI didn't know how to handle some of the more advanced tech in the game which meant if you've even survived up until a certain point you've all but won the game. The UI is dated now and I find it unplayable after playing Civ IV.

    But I regard the game as one of the best I've ever played. Civ leaders had personalities and agenda's, there was a story to the game in a similar tone to Lost in some respect (it's not where are we but what is this place?) and the expansion was amazing. I would love a follow on, even if it's not official (as EA own the rights) and since Colonization was done with the Civ IV engine, maybe Alpha Centauri 2 can be made with this new one?
    Edited by 1 at 14/03/10 @ 00:13

  • superdelphinus #27 2 years ago

    civ 4 was great but i found the games finished too quickly, even on marathon mode

  • cnlfailure #28 2 years ago

    Less talky talky, more bringing Civ 5 out ahead of schedule please Mr Meier. Ideally, now.

  • Chigorin #29 2 years ago

    No complaints noble leader. (Alpha Centauri 2 would be welcome though).

  • superdelphinus #30 2 years ago

    the resource thing running out sounds a good idea though - may lead to more real-life like conflicts over oil etc

  • adamsolo #31 2 years ago

    My favorite game of all time is Civilization 4. Can't wait to put my hands in Civilization 5.
    Did a Civilization 5 Preview in my blog, check it out: http://www.spacesector.com/blog/2010/0 3/sid-meiers-civilization-v-preview/
    Cheers!