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London through the ages inspires Civilization VII

An eight year wait for news on the next Civilization game is finally over.

"Londinium looked like pretty much any frontier Roman town with an amphitheatre, baths, and a shaky bridge that crossed to the south side of the Thames," observed the game's lead developer Ed Beach, as he showed me the below map - used here courtesy of Encyclopaedia Britannica. I include myself in that group - my brother first introduced me to Civ II on our PlayStation back in the 90s, and I was recently slightly horrified to discover I've spent more than 500 hours playing the sixth iteration of the series. There are expected changes - like a graphical overhaul that makes the game look modern - and unexpected ones too - like shifting the leaders you play as to include important historical figures that didn't lead their country, like Benjamin Franklin and Confucius.

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