
Civilization VII is just a few months away from launch — we still have to pinch ourselves when saying that — and as you might expect, the success of Civilization VI on Switch has influenced a few of the design decisions for that game.
What you might not expect, however, is that Firaxis didn't expect just how successful the game would be on the hybrid console. Speaking to Christopher Dring over at GameIndustry.biz, executive producer Dennis Shirk noticed that PC players (their core player base) were double-dipping: "We found that a lot of our PC players were getting the game on Switch because they could take their game with them."

One of the chief concerns with the Switch version was the handheld aspect — "We were like: 'Are people going to play it for that long on a handheld?' And the answer was yes, yes they will."
Because of the port's success, then, Firaxis has implemented a save transfer system for Civilization VII, meaning that players who pick the game up on Switch and another console can easily take their campaign anywhere with them.
Firaxis is working with Behaviour Interactive, who has worked on various Disney games over the years, as well as the interactive adventure Silent Hill: Ascension and, most famously, Dead by Daylight, to bring Civilization VII to the Switch. And because of the simultaneous launch, the team has had to change its approach to development.
"For the first time, every single asset, we've been creating LODs by the shovelful. Because we need multiple levels of LODs for something like that to work on Switch. And we have to down-res a lot of stuff to work on consoles." Shirk tells Dring. The team are "hungry" to get the game working across all systems. Plus, compared to previous games, Civ VII is a "departure".
"You're going to find these things like abandoned fighting pits, trading encampments… you can catch thieves... And when you find them, the narrative system presents a decision that you need to make based on what you've found." Shirk continues, confirming that there isn't an "overarching narrative", just "additional worldbuilding... to support your own internal adventure".
Civilization VII started development right before the Pandemic, so it's been a long time coming, but the size and scope of the game have us excited. We had a chance to speak to the game's creative director back at Gamescom 2024 and covered multiplayer, the Switch release, and the idea of history as "layers".
The game launches on all consoles on 11th February 2025. That's just over two months away! Yes, 2025 is very close. Will you be building a new world next year? Let us know in the comments.
[source gamesindustry.biz]
Comments 24
I love this game on the switch. Such an underpowered hybrid console, but the performance is really good for a weak machine.
I have this game, both for my gaming pc and on the switch, but i play it mostly on the switch.
Please let the next one be for the switch 2. Day one purchase for me.
People surprised games on one of the best selling consoles in history are... you know... Selling is just eye roll worthy at this point and once again proves how much bias was against the switch in some circles.
Love this on Switch! Granted I’m sure it works/runs better on pc, but portable Civ is just amazing! Found that out with Civ Rev 2 on vita (which I didn’t like as much as Civ Rev 1 but still was fun)
"Woah...we thought Nintendo Gamers only want Nintendo games!" BS! Studios know they always know. That's why there is a R&D department.
...This game was successful on Switch?...How? When it's constantly crashing and some of the DLC doesn't even work on there because it crashes even more. :/
Like others here not surprised at all considering the hybrid nature of Switch and its popularity (also due to that) but still, glad that the success of Civilization VI led to VII coming also to Switch at the same time as other systems!
Not surprised by any games being successful on the Switch, with the exception of games that have major competitive online components
I just saw that Civ VI is on sale for peanuts. Longer strategy games tend to give me a headache from overthinking, but I'm still a bit tempted to give it a go just based on reputation.
Games are selling on switch, what a surprise! May be if they had released midnight suns it would had sold well too, I would had bought it if they released it. tactical and card games are great in handheld mode...
@Dee123 I think the whole point of the article was to show how they bet on the new (at the time) system, that was nothing close to being one of the most successful consoles ever.
No one could predict how well the Switch would do in 2018, especially after how terrible the Wii U was.
For Civ VII nowadays though, it's a done deal
OMG, Civ VI on Switch with crossplay cloud save was such a wonderful lifehack.
"I need to use the computer!"
"No problem!" SAVE TO CLOUD, GRAB SWITCH, LOAD FROM CLOUD, CONTINUE CONQUERING THE WORLD
I just wish it ran better. Civ 6 chugs hard in the late game
I’m cautiously optimistic, but I’d love to see this come over to the Switch successor at some point in the near future
Civilization VI is such a good port on Switch!
Day 1!
I bought the retail and all the DLC, and then bought the digital when I got tired of having to put my cartridge in.
Two things I'd love to see on Switch in the sequel.
1) Improved loading time - it is go get a drink, get the mail, play a mobile game and then come back - insanely long
2) Big Map/Late Game size issues - Switch routinely cannot handle late game or big map challenges. It crashes periodically in either state and when you put the two together - well, I learned to save OFTEN! Mostly, I eventually stopped trying to play big maps and/or quit when I got to late game.
Civ 6 was a lot of fun on the Switch...until I got a Steam Deck.
Performance aside (I can live with that no issue on the Switch), having touchpads on a handheld made the experience perfect for me, so even other PC handhelds could not give me same experience the Deck did.
That doesn't mean Switch port is bad, I think it is excellent considering the hardware, and getting Civ 7 on Switch is great too (but remember, it will have some restrictions other platforms will not have)
I bought it for a couple bucks, bit sure why. Played it for maybe 3 hours and will probably never touch it again. Always preferred AoE or C&C anyway.
I have never played a single Civi game, and even I am thinking "what were you expecting?!"
It's a turn based game that you can pick up and put down with ease and sleep mode. Of course it sold well on a portable!
I wish the Switch version was just a liiiiiiittle more optimized. It can still crash in a big game. Also, don't play on anything bigger than a Large Map, IMHO. Also, so make saves with spaces in the name... for serious. Frequently loads bugs and crashes, esp local multiplayer.
"We released a popular game on a popular system and it was popular. We couldn't have predicted this."
I swear publishers will try everything they possibly can before they pick up the easy W, and even then they act like it was a fluke.
Some of these companies are so stupid. Like Blizzard, they would have made a fortune on Hearthstone Switch but for some reason, decided it wasn't worth it. I'm no marketing guru but I can say with certainty that it would have paid off big time. Aside from being practically made for a portable with it's wait and strategize approach and no high end graphics needed, it would have been an easy win, with barely any competition in the AAA competitive collectible card genre (at least at the time). Who knows how many millions they lost on not porting that from the beginning.
Sounds like CivVII could do with being held back to be a launch title for the SuperDooperSwitch. I’d be seriously tempted if that was the case.
I loved having this on Switch, mainly cause it’s such a long game, and would be great to play while also watching tv or a movie. Looking forward to the next Civ, I’ll get it understanding there’s going to be deep compromises to get it running.
@Dee123 The Wii and the Wii u ruined the reputation of Nintendo among third party studios.
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