Civilization 6, the next entry in the critically acclaimed strategy franchise, has just been announced by Firaxis. An announcement trailer has been released voiced by Sean Bean. Surprisingly, the game has a release date of October 21 of this year.

The game is coming with some major changes in tow: cities now expand physically across the map, they will also be divided into districts instead of stacking on one another, competing leaders will follow their own agendas based on historical traits and much more.

All of these changes are aimed towards adding a more strategic layer to the game. Division of cities into districts for instance will provide players with the opportunity to utilize different terrains and work with varied resources while acquiring more land at the same time. This allows different players to build their empires differently. It also allows for a more strategic approach to warfare. For instance, if a particular country is generating currency at a fast rate, then you can target their financial district containing markets specifically. And if some other country is rapidly gaining in scientific research, then their research and industry tiles can be targeted.

Players will also have to choose wisely which districts to pay more attention to over others. They will face tough choices while deciding which districts and parts of an empire to defend and which to cede or abandon. This will add great diversity and variety to the gameplay. Players will be building and defending their empires in different ways in different playthroughs. They will be encouraged to try new approaches instead of adopting a specific one.

The game is currently in development for PC and contains the following features:

• EXPANSIVE EMPIRES: See the marvels of your empire spread across the map like never before. Each city spans multiple tiles so you can custom build your cities to take full advantage of the local terrain.
• ACTIVE RESEARCH: Unlock boosts that speed your civilization’s progress through history. To advance more quickly, use your units to actively explore, develop your environment, and discover new cultures.
• DYNAMIC DIPLOMACY: Interactions with other civilizations change over the course of the game, from primitive first interactions where conflict is a fact of life, to late game alliances and negotiations.
• COMBINED ARMS: Expanding on the “one unit per tile” design, support units can now be embedded with other units, like anti-tank support with infantry, or a warrior with settlers. Similar units can also be combined to form powerful “Corps” units.
• ENHANCED MULTIPLAYER: In addition to traditional multiplayer modes, cooperate and compete with your friends in a wide variety of situations all designed to be easily completed in a single session.
• A CIV FOR ALL PLAYERS: Civilization VI provides veteran players new ways to build and tune their civilization for the greatest chance of success. New tutorial systems introduce new players to the underlying concepts so they can easily get started.

The game is currently available for pre-order on steam and below is the announcement trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvBf6WBatk0