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Civilization (series)

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Civilization
Genre(s)Turn-based strategy
Developer(s)MicroProse
Avalon Hill
Activision
Firaxis Games (Currently)
Publisher(s)Hartland Trefoil/Avalon Hill
MicroProse
Activision
Infogrames Entertainment, SA
2K Games (Currently)
Creator(s)Francis Tresham, Sid Meier
Platform(s)Main series:
Microsoft Windows, Linux, OS X
Spin-offs:
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, iOS, Android, Nintendo DS, Windows Phone, Facebook Platform, PlayStation Vita
First releaseCivilization
1991
Latest releaseCivilization: Beyond Earth: Rising Tide
October 9, 2015

Civilization is a series of turn-based strategy, 4X video games, many of them produced by Sid Meier (Sid Meier's Civilization). There are also several traditional Civilization games.

All titles in the series share similar gameplay, centered on building a civilization on a macro-scale from prehistory up to the near future. Each turn allows the player to move his or her units on the map, build or improve new cities and units, and initiate negotiations with the computer-controlled players. In between turns, computer players can do the same. The player will also choose technologies to research. These reflect the cultural, intellectual, and technical sophistication of the civilization, and usually allow the player to build new units or to improve their cities with new structures. In most games in the series, one may win by military conquest, achieving a certain level of culture, building an interstellar space ship, or achieving the highest score, among other means.

Over the years part of the crew involved in the developing the series became successful in producing their own strategy games, such as Bruce Shelley (Civilization I co-designer) of Age of Empires fame, Brian Reynolds (Civilization II lead designer and programmer) who went on to create Rise of Nations, and more recently Soren Johnson (Civilization III co-designer and Civilization IV lead designer and programmer with Spore).

As of February 2016, the series has reached 33 million total units shipped.[1]

History

Conducting negotiations with Stalin of the Russians in the original Civilization
The main game screen in Civilization II
City resources in Civilization III

In 1980, Francis Tresham designed the Civilization board game and published it through his company Hartland Trefoil, and in 1981, Avalon Hill obtained from Hartland Trefoil a license to sell the Civilization board game in the United States.[2]

MicroProse, founded by Sid Meier and Bill Stealey, published Civilization in 1991,[3] after licensing the right to use the name "Civilization" from Avalon Hill to avoid conflicts over similarities to the board game.[3] Meier was also the game's designer.[3] In 1993, MicroProse was bought by Spectrum Holobyte,[4] but the two companies remained separate. In 1996, MicroProse released the lauded[5] Civilization II, designed by Brian Reynolds.[3] Also in 1996 Spectrum Holobyte consolidated the company under the name MicroProse, but, in reaction to Spectrum Holobyte's decision to fire the majority of MicroProse's staff, Reynolds, Jeff Briggs, and Meier left MicroProse and founded Firaxis.[6]

Although Firaxis did not own the rights to the brand name "Civilization", the company still went on to design the acclaimed[7] Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, a "space-based Civilization-style game"[8] released in 1999.[9] Alpha Centauri uses a game engine similar to the one used in Civilization II[10] and its storyline continues from where the Civilization franchise ends, namely the colonization of a planet in Alpha Centauri.

Litigation over brand name and Hasbro consolidation

In April 1997, Activision acquired from Avalon Hill the rights to the name "Civilization" on its PC games and seven months later Avalon Hill and Activision sued MicroProse over trademark infringement because of the name "Civilization".[2]

In response to the lawsuit, MicroProse bought Hartland Trefoil in December 1997. This move sought to establish "MicroProse as the preeminent holder of worldwide computer game and board game rights under the Civilization brand".[11] In January 1998, Microprose counter-sued Avalon Hill and Activision for false advertising, unfair competition, trademark infringement, and unfair business practices as a result of Activision's decision to develop and publish Civilization computer games.[12]

In July, Avalon Hill and Activision settled their case against MicroProse out of court. Under the terms of the settlement, MicroProse kept all the rights to the Civilization brand, Avalon Hill had to pay MicroProse $411,000, and Activision acquired a license from MicroProse to publish Civilization: Call to Power (released in March 1999).[2][13]

Avalon Hill accepted the unfavorable settlement because Hasbro was already negotiating the acquisition of both Avalon Hill and MicroProse. Less than one month after the settlement, Hasbro finalized the purchases of both companies[2][14] which consolidated the Civilization franchise under Hasbro.

Infogrames and Firaxis

In January 2001, the French company Infogrames bought the Hasbro subsidiary Hasbro Interactive for $100 million,[15] which included the rights to the Civilization franchise, the rights to the Atari brand,[16] and Hasbro's Game.com handheld game console.[16][17] Following the sale, Hasbro Interactive was renamed Infogrames Interactive, Inc[18] and Civilization III (developed by Firaxis with Jeff Briggs as game designer) was released in October 2001 by the new company. In May 2003, Infogrames changed the name of Infogrames Interactive to Atari Interactive.[19]

Take-Two

Take-Two bought the rights to the Civilization franchise from Infogrames in 2004 for $22.3 million.[20][21] In October 2005, 2K Games, a Take-Two subsidiary, published Civilization IV, which was developed by Firaxis with Soren Johnson as game designer.[22]

Take Two bought Firaxis for $26.7 million including possible performance bonuses in November 2005[23] which resulted in Take Two owning both the developer and the publisher of the Civilization franchise.

In 2010, on September 21 and November 23 respectively, the Windows and Mac OS X versions of Civilization V were released.[24][25] In 2014, Firaxis revisited many of the Alpha Centauri themes from the 1999 game when they released Beyond Earth.[26]

Civilizations and leaders represented

Throughout the various different Civilization games, nearly 50 different civilizations and almost 110 different leaders have been represented. The following tables below delineate the appearances of various civilizations and leaders.

Civilizations in Civilization
Civilization I II III IV Rev V Rev
2
Capital
American Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Washington
Arab Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Mecca (III-V)
Tripoli (Rev)
Assyrian Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Assur
Austrian Red XN Red XN Green tickY[nb 1] Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Vienna
Aztec Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Tenochtitlan
Babylonian Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Babylon
Brazilian Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Rio de Janeiro
Byzantine Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Constantinople
Carthaginian Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Carthage
Celtic Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Cardiff (II)
Entremont (III)
Bibracte (IV)
Edinburgh (V)
Chinese Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Beijing[nb 2]
Danish Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Copenhagen
Dutch Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Amsterdam
Egyptian Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Thebes
English Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY London
Ethiopian Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY[nb 3] Red XN Aksum (IV)
Addis Ababa (V)
French Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Paris
German Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Berlin
Greek Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Athens
Hittite Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Hattusa
Holy Roman Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Aachen
Hunnic Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Attila's Court
Inca Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Cuzco
Indian Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Delhi
Indonesian Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Jakarta
Iroquois Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Salamanca (III)
Onondaga (V)
Japanese Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Kyoto
Khmer Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Yasodharapura
Korean Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Seoul
Mali Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Timbuktu
Maya Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Chichen Itza (III)
Mutal (IV)
Palenque (V)
Mongol Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Samarqand (I)
Karakorum (II-V)
Moroccan Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Marrakech
Native American[nb 4] Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Cahokia
Ottoman Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Istanbul
Persian Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Persepolis
Polish Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Warsaw
Polynesian Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Honolulu
Portuguese Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Lisbon
Roman Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Rome
Russian Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Moscow
Shoshone Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Moson Kahni
Siamese Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Sukhotai
Sioux Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Little Bighorn
Songhai Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Gao
Spanish Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY[nb 3] Green tickY Madrid
Sumerian Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Ur
Swedish Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Stockholm
Venetian Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Venice
Viking[nb 5] Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Trondheim[nb 2]
Zulu Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Zimbabwe (I-III, Rev)
Ulundi (IV-V)

* Entries with a blue background indicate civilizations added with the first expansion pack (III: Play the World, IV: Warlords, V: Gods & Kings).
* Entries with a green background indicate civilizations added with the second expansion pack (III: Conquests, IV: Beyond the Sword, V: Brave New World).
* Entries with a yellow background indicate civilizations added through DLC (V), or game updates (Rev 2).

Notes
  1. ^ Austria was a "hidden" civilization in Civ III, meaning their files were available, but the player had to add them manually into the game at the expense of another civilization.
  2. ^ a b Civ I uses the romanization of Peking for Beijing, and Civ IV uses the historical name of Nidaros for Trondheim.
  3. ^ a b Spain was also included with the Gods & Kings expansion pack, and Ethiopia with the Brave New World expansion pack.
  4. ^ Most Civ games include specific Native American tribes, such as the Sioux, Iroquois, or Shoshone, instead of an amalgamated Native American empire.
  5. ^ The Viking civilization is called Scandinavia in Civ III: Play the World; however, the adjective remains "Viking". In Civ V, Denmark replaces the Viking civilization, retaining features such as the berserker unit and a leader from the Viking era.
Leaders in Civilization
Name Civ I II III IV IV:
Col
Rev V Rev
2
Abu Bakr Arab Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
John Adams English[nb 1] Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN
Agüeybaná Arawak Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN
Ahmad al-Mansur Moroccan Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Amaterasu[nb 2] Japanese Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Alexander the Great Greek Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Ashurbanipal Assyrian Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Askia Mohammad Songhai Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Ashoka Indian Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Attila Hunnic Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Augustus Caesar Roman Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Otto von Bismarck German Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Simón Bolívar Spanish Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN
Napoleon Bonaparte French Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Börte[nb 2] Mongol Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Boudica Celtic Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Brennus Celtic Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Cnut the Great Viking Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Casimir III the Great Polish Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Catherine the Great Russian Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Samuel de Champlain French Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN
Charlemagne Holy Roman Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Charles V Austrian (III)
Spanish (IV: Col)
Red XN Red XN Green tickY[nb 3] Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN
Winston Churchill English Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Cleopatra Egyptian Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Cunhambebe Tupi Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN
Cunobeline Celtic Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Cyrus II Persian Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Enrico Dandolo Venetian Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Darius I Persian Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Dido Carthaginian Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Adriaen van der Donck Dutch Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN
Elizabeth I English Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Friedrich Barbarossa German Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Frederick the Great German Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Louis de Frontenac French Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN
Gajah Mada Indonesian Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Indira Gandhi Indian Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Mohandas Gandhi Indian Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Charles de Gaulle French Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Genghis Khan (Temujin) Mongol Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
George III English Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN
Gilgamesh Sumerian Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Gunnhild[nb 2] Viking Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Gustav II Adolph Swedish Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Haile Selassie Ethiopian Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY[nb 4] Red XN
Hammurabi Babylonian Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Hannibal Carthaginian Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Harald Bluetooth Danish Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Harun al-Rashid Arab Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Hatshepsut Egyptian Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Henry the Navigator Portuguese Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Henry VIII English Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Hiawatha Iroquois Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Hippolyta[nb 2] Greek Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Huayna Capac Inca Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN
Isabella Spanish Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY[nb 4] Green tickY
Ishtar[nb 2] Babylonian Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Jeanne d'Arc French Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
João II Portuguese Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Julius Caesar Roman Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Justinian I Byzantine Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Kamehameha Polynesian Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
John F. Kennedy American Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Kublai Khan Mongol Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Vladimir Lenin Russian Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Abraham Lincoln American (I-IV, Rev, Rev 2) Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY[nb 5] Green tickY
Livia[nb 2] Roman Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Ragnar Lodbrok Viking Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Logan Iroquois Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN
Louis XIV French Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN
Mangas Coloradas Apache Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN
Mao Zedong[nb 6] Chinese Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Mansa Musa Mali Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Maria I Portuguese Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Maria Theresa German (II)
Austrian (V: G&K)
Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Mehmed II Ottoman Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Montezuma I Aztec Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Montezuma II Aztec Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Mursili I Hittite Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Muwatallis[disambiguation needed] Hittite Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Nazca[nb 2] Aztec Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Nebuchadnezzar II Babylonian Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Oconostota Cherokee Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN
Oda Nobunaga Japanese Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Osman I Ottoman Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Pacal II Maya Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Pachacuti Inca Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Pedro II Brazilian Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Pericles Greek Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Peter the Great Russian Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Philip II Spanish Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Pocatello Shoshone Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Qin Shi Huang Chinese Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Ramesses II Egyptian Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Ramkhamhaeng Siamese Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Eleanor Roosevelt[nb 2] American Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Franklin Roosevelt American Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Sacagawea[nb 2] Sioux Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Saladin Arab Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
José de San Martín Spanish Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN
Scheherazade[nb 2] Persian Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Sejong the Great Korean Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY
Shaka Zulu Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Shakala[nb 2] Zulu Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Sitting Bull Sioux (II, IV: Col)
Native American (IV)
Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN
Smoke-Jaguar Maya Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Joseph Stalin Russian Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Peter Stuyvesant Dutch Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN
Suleiman Ottoman Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Suryavarman II Khmer Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Taizong of Tang[nb 6] Chinese Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY
Theodora Byzantine Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Tokugawa Ieyasu Japanese Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Victoria English Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Wang Kon Korean Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
George Washington American (IV, V)
English (IV: Col)[nb 1]
Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Willem van Oranje Dutch Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Wu Zetian[nb 7] Chinese Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Xerxes Persian Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN
Zara Yaqob Ethiopian Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN

* Entries with a pink background indicate included non-playable leaders (IV: Col).
* Entries with a blue background indicate leaders added with the first expansion pack (III: Play the World, IV: Warlords, V: Gods & Kings).
* Entries with a green background indicate leaders added with the second expansion pack (III: Conquests, IV: Beyond the Sword, V: Brave New World).
* Entries with a yellow background indicate leaders added through DLC (V), or game updates (Rev 2).

Notes
  1. ^ a b Due to the nature of Civ IV: Colonization, Washington and Adams are playable leaders for (New) England, not America.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Some female leaders in Civilization II are either non-leaders (e.g. Livia, Börte, Eleanor Roosevelt, Sacagawea), goddesses (Amaterasu, Ishtar), taken from legends (Scherezade, Gunnhild, Hippolyta) or fictitious characters created by the developers (Nazca, Shakala).
  3. ^ Charles' civilization was a "hidden" one in Civ III, meaning their files were available, but the player had to add them manually into the game at the expense of another civilization.
  4. ^ a b Isabella of Spain was also included with the Gods & Kings expansion pack, and Haile Selassie of Ethiopia with the Brave New World expansion pack.
  5. ^ Abraham Lincoln appears as the leader of the Union in the "American Civil War" scenario. He is, however, unavailable to use in the core game.
  6. ^ a b Mao Zedong is replaced by Taizong of Tang in the Chinese release of Civ III-IV.
  7. ^ In Civilization V, the name Wu Zetian is used instead of her personal name Wu Zhao.

Chronology

Titles in the main Civilization Series
Title Release Notes
Civilization 1991
CivNet 1995 A remake with improved graphics and sound, and support for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95.
Civilization II 1996
Civilization II: Conflicts in Civilization 1996 The first expansion pack for Civilization II.
Civilization II: Fantastic Worlds 1997 The second expansion pack for Civilization II.
Civilization II: Test of Time 1999 Includes the original Civilization II plus new scenarios and improved features, including an alien landscape.
Civilization III 2001
Civilization III: Play the World 2002 The first expansion pack for Civilization III.
Civilization III: Conquests 2003 The second and final expansion for Civilization III.
Civilization IV 2005
Civilization IV: Warlords 2006 The first expansion pack for Civilization IV.
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword 2007 The second expansion pack for Civilization IV.
Civilization IV: Colonization 2008 A spin-off based on Sid Meier's 1994 game, Colonization.
Civilization V 2010
Civilization V: Gods & Kings 2012 The first expansion pack for Civilization V.
Civilization V: Brave New World 2013 The second expansion pack for Civilization V.
Civilization: Beyond Earth 2014 A spiritual successor to Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri built atop the Civilization V engine.
Civilization: Beyond Earth - Rising Tide 2015 The first expansion pack for Civilization: Beyond Earth.

Compilations

  • The Explorer (1997), includes Civilization and the Colonization spin off.
  • Civilization II: Multiplayer Gold Edition (1998), includes Civilization II and its two expansions: Conflicts in Civilization and Fantastic Worlds.
  • Civilization III: Gold Edition (2003), includes Civilization III and the first expansion, Play the World.
  • Civilization III: Complete (2005), includes Civilization III and its two expansions: Play the World and Conquests.
  • Civilization Chronicles (2006), includes all the games from the main series from the first Civilization to Civilization IV.
  • Civilization IV: Gold Edition (2007), includes Civilization IV and its first expansion Warlords, as well as a bonus poster illustrated by artist Greg Hildebrandt.
  • Civilization IV: Complete (2007), includes Civilization IV and its two expansions: Warlords and Beyond the Sword.
  • Civilization IV: The Complete Edition (2009), includes Civilization IV, its two expansions, Warlords and Beyond the Sword, and Civilization IV: Colonization. It does not feature any DRM (copy protection).
  • Civilization V: Game of the Year Edition (2011) includes Civilization V and all DLC prior to the Korea and Wonders of the Ancient World packs released through Steam.
  • Sid Meier's Civilization V: Gold Edition (2013) included the original plus the Gods & Kings expansion with all the DLC released between them both.
  • Sid Meier's Civilization V: The Complete Edition (2014) includes the original plus the Gods & Kings and Brave New World expansions with all the DLC released between them.

Other video games

File:Freeciv-2.1.0-beta3-sdl slack11.0.png
Freeciv 2.1.0 SDL client
Titles in the Civilization Series
Title Release Notes
Sid Meier's Colonization 1994 Created by Brian Reynolds and Sid Meier while still at MicroProse.
Avalon Hill's Advanced Civilization 1995 The computer version of the Advanced Civilization board game.
Freeciv 1996 Latest release 2015[27]
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri 1999 Created by Sid Meier's team at Firaxis Games.
Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire 1999 An expansion pack to Alpha Centauri.
Civilization: Call to Power 1999 Created by Activision.
C-evo 1999 Latest release 2013, created by Steffen Gerlach[28]
Call to Power II 2000 Sequel to Civilization: Call to Power. Due to licensing issues, Civilization could not be in the title.[29]
FreeCol 2003 A clone of Sid Meier's Colonization, latest release 2015.[30]
CivCity: Rome 2006 A city-building strategy game inspired by the series.
Civilization Revolution 2008 The first game in the series designed specifically for consoles, iOS and Windows Phone; not released for the PC or Mac.
Civilization World 2011 A full Civilization game for Facebook. The game was discontinued in 2013.
Civilization Revolution 2 2014 A mobile exclusive sequel to Civilization Revolution.
Sid Meier's Starships 2015

Board and card games

Titles in the Civilization Series
Title Release Notes
Civilization 1980 board game by Francis Tresham, published by Avalon Hill in the US (1981).[31]
Advanced Civilization 1991 an expansion of the original board game published by Avalon Hill.
Civilization: The Boardgame 2002 an officially licensed board game published by Eagle Games and based on Civilization III.
Civilization: The Card Game 2006 a card game designed by Civilization IV lead designer Soren Johnson and based on Civilization IV.
Civilization: The Board Game 2010 an officially licensed board game published by Fantasy Flight Games and based on Civilization IV.
Civilization: Fame and Fortune 2011 the first expansion to the 2010 Civilization based board game.
Civilization: Wisdom and Warfare  2013 the second expansion to the 2010 Civilization based board game.

Influence

Scottish science fiction and mainstream author Iain Banks has noted that he spent much time playing the game (appearing to refer to the first version) and that it was one of the inspirations for the concept of the 'Outside Context Problem' central to his Excession novel - the appearance of invaders or travelers who are so advanced that they are totally outside the society's frame of reference. In an interview, Banks specifically compares this to having a Civilization battleship arrive while the player is still using wooden sailing ships.[32] One of the two viewpoint characters in his novel Complicity plays Civilization compulsively.

References

  1. ^ Dean, Takahashi (20 February 2016). "Civilization: 25 years, 33M copies sold, 1 billion hours played, and 66 versions". VentureBeat. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d The Fall of Avalon Hill
  3. ^ a b c d "Features - The History of Civilization". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  4. ^ "Company News; Microprose Plans Merger With Spectrum Holobyte". The New York Times. 1993-06-18. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  5. ^ "Civilization II for PC Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  6. ^ "History for MicroProse Software, Inc". Mobygames.com. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  7. ^ "Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri for PC Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  8. ^ "Sid starts up. Again - Forbes.com". Forbes. 1997-07-25.
  9. ^ "IGN: Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri". Pc.ign.com. 1998-11-21. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  10. ^ "Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri". Kickstartnews.com. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  11. ^ "MicroProse Buys out Hartland Trefoil". Mimgames.com. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  12. ^ "Hasbro Takes Over The Hill and Others". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on July 14, 2007. Retrieved 2014-05-07. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "Monarch Services Inc - 10KSB40 - For 4/30/98". SEC Info. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  14. ^ Evangelista, Benny (1998-08-13). "Hasbro Buying Alameda's MicroProse / Computer games-maker sells out for $70 million". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  15. ^ "Company News; Hasbro Completes Sale Of Interactive Business". The New York Times. 2001-01-30. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  16. ^ a b Press Release
  17. ^ "Hasbro Inc - 10-K405 - For 12/31/00 - EX-13". SEC Info. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  18. ^ "Civilization III: Home". Civ3.com. 2002-05-08. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  19. ^ "Atari Inc - 10-KT - For 3/31/03". SEC Info. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  20. ^ Feldman, Curt (2004-11-24). "Civilization sold off to mystery buyer - PC News at GameSpot". Gamespot.com. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  21. ^ Winegarner, Beth (2005-01-26). "Take-Two takes over Civilization - PC News at GameSpot". Gamespot.com. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  22. ^ Firaxis Games: Games: Sid Meier's Civilization Chronicles Archived 2008-01-28 at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (2006-01-31). "Take-Two reveals acquisition prices, hints at future lawsuits - PlayStation 2 News at GameSpot". Gamespot.com. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  24. ^ "2K Games Conquers PCs with the Release of Sid Meier's Civilization V on September 21, 2010 in North America". 2K Games. 2010-06-11. Retrieved 2010-07-23.
  25. ^ Sid Meier's Civilization V Mac Arrives November 23 Archived 2011-04-23 at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ "Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth". Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  27. ^ "Freeciv - Summary". Gna! project Freeciv. Retrieved 2015-03-17.
  28. ^ Steffen Gerlach (2008). "Old Versions". C-evo. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  29. ^ Bruce Geryk (2000-11-20). "Call to Power II Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-01-21.
  30. ^ Mike Pope (2015-03-08). "FreeCol 0.11.3". SourceForge project FreeCol. Retrieved 2015-03-17.
  31. ^ "Civilization Rules of Play" (PDF). Avalon Hill. 1981. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  32. ^ Excession: A Conversation with Iain Banks (interview originally published in SFX magazine, via 'sandm.co.uk' website. Accessed 2009-01-04.)