TheSid Meier’s Civilizationseries is primarily a turn-based strategy franchise that plays around with history, but Firaxis decided to change that in 2014. After the success ofSid Meier’s Civilization 5, Firaxis quickly got to work creating the sci-fi spin-offSid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth. It was a pretty unique entry in theSid Meier’s Civilizationseries, and it seemed to be popular at first. However, it was quickly dropped in favor ofCivilization 6.
Firaxis has not released any sci-fiCivgames sinceBeyond Earth, and it only released one expansion pack before moving onto the next project. It essentially killed off any potential thatBeyond Earthhad in favor of the next mainline entry, but it should not let the concept gather dust.After Firaxis releasesSid Meier’s Civilization 7, it should consider returning to the sci-fi genre. If the studio were to giveBeyond Earth 2the attention that it deserves, then it could lead to a wild new experience for series veterans to enjoy.
RELATED:Civ 7 Should Take Inspiration from Civ 5’s World Congress Rather Than Civ 6’s
Beyond Earth Was An Interesting Flawed Concept
No one really knew what to expect fromSid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earthwhen it was first announced. It served as a spiritual successor toAlpha Centauri, and was going to essentially give players a look atwhat happens after they won a Science Victory. This meant that it stripped out what drew fans to theCivseries in the first place. There were no historical leaders, the tech tree was not rooted in the real world, and the setting was changed from Earth to an uninhabited planet. This pushed many veteranCivplayers away, but the game did not deserve to crash and burn like it did.
Managing a civilization on an uninhabited planet seems like it would be a lot of fun, but it was never able to deliver on that potential. The game was not devoid of fun, it was just lacking in many areas. It had all the hallmarks of the genre, and it offered a new type of experience for franchise fans to enjoy. However, it also lacked a bit of the charm and polish of the main series. There is something special aboutfighting historical leaders on Earth, and this game did not give players that.
Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earthput a unique spin on the franchise template, but it barely got any post-launch support. Firaxis only released theRising Tideexpansion pack which added aquatic cities to the game. The studio also released a second spin-off game that served asa continuation of sorts calledSid Meier’s Starships, but that was quickly forgotten about. While the sci-fi concept was interesting, it was never quite able to gain a massive audience. The studio quickly moved ontoSid Meier’s Civilization 6, and it has never looked back.
Firaxis is currently developingSid Meier’s Civilization 7which will surely be a delight for turn-based strategy fans. Once that game hits store shelves and receives a decent amount of content, Firaxis should consider revisiting theBeyond Earthconcept. While it was a very flawed game, it was an intenerating idea that does not deserve to gather dust. There is a lot that Firaxis could do with it if given the chance, and it should be given that chance.
If done well, a sci-fiCivgame could be a fantastic strategical ride. It could give fans of the franchise an entirely new experience, and it would allow Firaxis to experiment with many new ideas. It could also take the best of theSid Meier’s Civilizationseries and give it a sci-fi skin. If Firaxis is able to ensure that it maintains the charm of the main series, then many fans may flock to it. It could easily be likeFiraxis' version ofStellaris, and could lead to even more galacticSid Meier’sadventures.
