There was a time when Firaxis explored different simulation subgenres, but recent years have seen the studio focus solely on Sid Meier's Civilization. The seventh game is on the way, and it will likely introduce a slew of new features that shake up this classic strategy series. While Firaxis should focus its efforts on improving Civilization’s core gameplay loop, the studio should also consider reviving the classic CivCity: Rome.
CivCity: Rome was Firaxis' attempt at a city building game, and it mostly paid off. It was not a particularly notable game, but it was a decent time for genre fans. With a few tweaks and changes, the concept could make its grand return. It is about time that a new era of Civilization spin-offs began, and CivCity: Rome should lead the charge
CivCity Deserves to Be Revisited Someday
CivCity: Rome launched in 2006, and it brought Firaxis' style to the Roman Empire. Players were put in charge of Rome and were tasked with building it up in classic city building style. As players constructed their city, they had to complete an assortment of missions that involved real-life historical figures. They could also embark on military excursions that saw them fight back against three other civilizations. While it was not perfect, there is a lot of fun to be had here.
Firaxis has not really done any Civilization spin-offs since the release of Sid Meier's Starships and Civilization: Beyond Earth. Neither game made waves within their respective genres, and it seems like Firaxis has put its focus back on the main series. While that is great news for fans of Sid Meier's Civilization, it also means that there are not as many unique experiences to enjoy. Once Sid Meier's Civilization 7 is released, the studio should consider delving back into the world of Civilization spin-offs.
City builders seem to have only gotten more popular with the rise of games like Cities Skylines, Tropico 6, Frostpunk, Surviving Mars, and Anno 1800. This makes it the perfect time to explore the CivCity concept again. With modern hardware, Firaxis' city builder could really shine. It could take everything that it has learned since 2006, copy some of the genre's best ideas, and deliver a great historical city builder for players to enjoy.
One of the easiest ways to do this would be through a CivCity: Rome remaster. It could serve as a nice adventure in between Civilization games and be a fun way for Firaxis to honor its past. However, the game would mostly be the same as it was in 2006. It was a little rough around the edges when it first released, and its cracks would only be more prevalent now.
The best way to revisit the concept would be to make a full-fledged sequel akin to the new Age of Empires titles. A new CivCity could take the city builder back to Rome, or it could take it to an entirely different historical city. Firaxis could introduce new enemies to conquer, new resources to gather, new mechanics to interact with, and loads of new historical figures to meet. There is a lot of potential for an exciting new simulator, and hopefully it happens one day.
It is unlikely that Firaxis will revisit the CivCity concept in the foreseeable future. The studio seems to have moved away from projects like that, focusing on its central strengths instead. While there is a chance that another Civilization spin-off will release at some point, it may not be CivCity. The concept deserves to live on somehow, even if it is simply as a mechanic within the main Civilization series.
Sid Meier's Civilization 7 is currently in development.