The Civilization games have always had a bit of fun with history. Interweaving historical monuments and figures into a game that allows for a surprisingly free reign over your chosen society. All that sounds like it could change in some interesting ways with the annoucement of Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth which, rather than looking to the past, allows players to colonize alien worlds way into humanity’s future.
From some of these announcement details I get the impression that while changes have been made to the gameplay, the really drastic departure for the series is how you’ll play the game. While choosing a sponsor, and general direction for your space colony mirrors choosing historical leaders and regions, the fact that there is no necessary structure you might need to follow opens a lot of possibilities. Additionally, there will be quests throughout the campaign that will help flesh out some of the mythos and stories behind these alien civilizations.
Some technical details were released as well including: 8 player online multiplayer and mod support.
Civilization: Beyond Earth will be available for PC, Mac, and Linux this fall for $49.99