Civilization 7 Dataminers Find Atomic Age Clue; Firaxis Excited for Future

In the exciting world of *Civilization 7*, dataminers have uncovered hints of a fourth, unannounced Age, stirring anticipation among fans. Developer Firaxis has also teased future plans in an interview with IGN. A complete campaign in *Civilization 7* progresses through three Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. Once an Age concludes, all players and AI opponents undergo an Age Transition. This transition involves selecting a new civilization from the upcoming Age to represent your empire, choosing which Legacies to carry forward, and witnessing the evolution of the game world. This unique system is a first for the *Civilization* series.

The Modern Age in *Civilization 7* concludes before the Cold War. Lead designer Ed Beach confirmed this timeline in the IGN interview, explaining that Firaxis chose to end the current version of the game at the conclusion of World War 2. Beach elaborated on the historical reasoning behind these Age transitions:

“We spent a lot of time examining the ebbs and flows of history,” Beach said. “Once we decided to break the game into chapters, the first question we asked was, ‘When does a chapter start and when does it end?’ Our senior historian, Andrew Johnson, with his expertise in Southeast Asian history, helped balance my Western-focused tendencies. We noticed that major empires worldwide, not just the Roman Empire but also those in China and India, faced challenges around the same time period, roughly between 300 to 500 CE. This made a fitting end for the Antiquity Age. For the transition from Exploration to Modern, we focused on the challenges faced by established monarchies in Europe due to revolutions like the French and American Revolutions, and the subsequent emergence of new nations. The World Wars marked a significant pivot in history, justifying the end of the Modern Age in 1945. We deliberately avoided extending into the Cold War, as it felt distinct from the rest of the Modern Age, only touching on it with the thermonuclear device as the endpoint for military victory.”

Speculation about a fourth Age has been fueled by Firaxis' executive producer Dennis Shirk, who hinted at future expansions without confirming specifics. “You can imagine the possibilities with this,” Shirk remarked. “Each Age is filled with unique systems, visuals, units, and civilizations. We're excited about where this is heading, but we can't discuss specifics yet.”

Following these hints, *Civilization 7* players with early access have datamined the game and discovered references to the Atomic Age, along with unannounced leaders and civilizations. This aligns well with Firaxis' previous DLC strategies and the tease from Shirk.

In the shorter term, Firaxis is focusing on addressing community feedback that has resulted in a 'mixed' user review rating on Steam. In an interview with IGN, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged the negative reviews but remained optimistic, stating that the “legacy Civ audience” would appreciate the game more with time, and described *Civilization 7*’s early performance as “very encouraging.”

For those eager to conquer the world in *Civilization 7*, check out our comprehensive guides on achieving every victory, understanding the major changes from *Civilization 6*, and avoiding common mistakes. We also provide detailed explanations of all map types and difficulty settings to ensure you're fully prepared for your journey through history.