Civilization 7 and Humankind will be as influential as Civ 5, says Amplitude CEO

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There’s been a lot of discussion comparing Civilization 7 and Humankind, both facing controversy from their respective fanbases. Is it the cultural swap mechanic that’s causing the trouble, imperfect execution, or are strategy game fans being resistant to major changes?

At the Gamescom 2025 event, DBLTAP had an opportunity to converse with Romain de Waubert de Genlis, CEO of Amplitude Studios, along with their COO Max von Knorring. One of the questions they asked was…

Romain de Waubert de Genlis mentioned, “Their feedback is intriguing. We’ve come across both negative and positive reviews, and it’s crucial to take note of the positives too. It’s not just the mechanics that are under scrutiny here, but often, the way they’re implemented.”

He continued by referring to a past example, “As you suggested, it’s more about the execution. Innovation can be tricky – think back to Civ 5’s launch, where players initially struggled due to changes like switching from square to hexagonal grids, altering the one-unit-per-tile system, and so forth. But looking back 15 years later, many elements they introduced then have become standard in a lot of 4X games.

After the initial surprise, some players experienced when Humankind required them to switch cultures at the end of each era, the logic behind this mechanic was generally viewed as sensible. It was advantageous that Humankind also provided an option for players to continue with their original civilization throughout the entire game. Looking back, the CEO admitted that being more supportive and understanding the players’ preferences and concerns could have improved the introduction of the mechanic. However, it took Amplitude several years of interacting with the community and considering feedback to understand this.

Initially, many fans might have reacted defensively, feeling something like, “How dare you create a game similar to Civilization?” The CEO then explained that their intention was not to disrespect the original, but rather to offer a fresh take on an already beloved game.

Max von Knorring concurred, stating: “Humanity wasn’t flawless because embarking on such a daring action in our initial historical endeavor was an audacious decision from the start. It had been our aspiration since the very beginning. We gave it our all, and despite our best efforts, we made some errors. Such a transformation is a significant change.

He also agreed that both Amplitude and Firaxis didn’t nail the execution of the culture switch.

When Firaxis announced Civ 7, and I watched the initial trailer at Gamescom last year, I reacted with a mix of surprise and excitement – something like ‘Really? Neat!’ It’s thrilling to see the game you’ve cherished since you started gaming approaching a version that pays tribute to it. de Waubert de Genlis expressed joy at this development, acknowledging the criticism they receive. He expressed hope that they would have the time to address these concerns, but suggested that the primary issue might be execution rather than the concept itself. Managing a succession of cultures can be challenging as people dislike losing their progress and fear it may render previous efforts meaningless.

Speaking about Civilization 5, it took some people approximately 15 years to fully appreciate its quality. I predict the same for Civilization 7 and Humankind due to their innovative mechanics and unique perspectives on history in gameplay. In other words, give these games time to be appreciated, and don’t overwhelm players with complexity right away.

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2025-08-26 11:46