Civilization 7’s Creative Director says Nintendo Switch is “most challenging platform” to develop for

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Civilization 7's Creative Director says Nintendo Switch is "most challenging platform" to develop for

As a long-time fan of the Civilization series, I couldn’t help but be impressed by Firaxis Games’ ambitious plan to launch Civilization 7 simultaneously across multiple platforms. Having witnessed the evolution of this franchise since its inception, I can appreciate the herculean task that lies ahead for the development team, especially when it comes to the Nintendo Switch – a console that will be almost eight years into its lifecycle by the time Civ 7 arrives.

I was able to preview Civilization 7 at Gamescom last week, and I was struck by Firaxis’ commitment to launching simultaneously on multiple platforms.

Apart from launching the 4X title on PC on February 11, it will also be playable on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. Intrigued by the hurdles associated with this multi-platform release, I posed questions to Ed Beach, the Creative Director of the franchise, about the challenges they faced.

Civ 7’s Creative Director admits the Switch is “most challenging platform” to develop for

beach humorously remarks, “Since I lead the creative team, it’s fortunate that I’m not burdened with much in terms of coding.”

While I may not have a direct role in the creative aspects of the game, I do possess a computer science background and am capable of writing code and contributing to the game’s development. This understanding allows me to grasp the intricacies involved quite well. It’s worth noting that by the time Civilization 6 was completed, we managed to release the game on multiple platforms. However, some of these platforms were already several years into their respective release cycles.

Since our communities have expanded across various platforms, we didn’t wish to convey a message that suggested “Civ is available for everyone else but not for you.” Therefore, it became essential for us to approach it in the manner described.

According to Beach, our engineering team preferred to manage the project internally this time around, aiming for a more streamlined coordination without relying heavily on external partners like they did before.

In essence, our choice has proven to be correct, and we’re progressing smoothly with all aspects. However, there have been instances when using certain platforms seems inexplicably limited in memory resources, making us question our actions.

Regarding the Nintendo Switch, as Civilization 7 is expected to arrive nearly eight years into the console’s life cycle, Beach acknowledges that it poses the toughest development challenge.

Looking at the preview, he remarked, “There may have been groups of five to six sword-wielding units moving across the map.”

On the Nintendo Switch, you’ll find a reduction in the number of polygons used for buildings, units, and similar items compared to other platforms.

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2024-08-27 18:12