Highlights

  • Civilization 7 aims for wider audience and will release on all platforms day one.
  • Firaxis could use spotlight trailers for each Civilization to promote the game.
  • This marketing strategy would highlight lesser-known factions and build hype for the game's release.

There's already quite a bit of hype surrounding Civilization 7. Technically announced via a press release last February, Civilization 7 is now set for a 2025 release date, and its recent Summer Game Fest announcement trailer did a solid job of kicking the game's marketing cycle into first gear. A franchise that's been around since the early 1990s, Civilization has a long legacy behind it, and while the upcoming 7th installment feels like a known quantity to many fans, the new entry is targeting a much wider demographic.

According to various online sources, Civilization 6 is the highest-selling entry in franchise history, selling over 11 million copies since its launch in 2016, which is around three million more than its predecessor. One big reason behind this increased success is that Civilization 6 eventually came to consoles, and it seems as though developer Firaxis has learned from this, as Civilization 7 is launching across all platforms on day one. But that shouldn't be the only new marketing strategy Civilization 7 employs.

Civilization 7 logo surrounded by Classical Republic, Oligarchy, Monarchy, and Merchant Republic from Civilization 6
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Civilization 7 Has an Obvious Marketing Opportunity Ahead of Itself

Civilization 7 Should Release Spotlight Trailers for Each Civ

Back when Firaxis was getting ready to release Marvel's Midnight Suns in late 2022, it released a handful of short trailers designed to spotlight one specific character each. These trailers only ran for around a minute, but they showed off some of the character's unique in-game abilities and highlighted the hero's personality through brief snippets of dialogue, giving fans a good overview of the character and their role in Midnight Suns' strategic gameplay. This is an approach that Civilization 7 could use to great effect.

Currently, it's not known how many playable Civs will be present in Civilization 7 on launch, or what those Civs will be. From Civilization 7's announcement trailer it seems as though the Ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Mongols will likely be in the game, though the rest of the roster is currently a complete mystery. Firaxis has the perfect opportunity right now to repeat its Midnight Suns marketing strategy and release a trailer announcing and spotlighting each Civ in the lead-up to Civilization 7's 2025 launch.

Much like the Midnight Suns character trailers, these Civilization 7 Civ spotlights only need to be short 1-minute bursts of gameplay, giving fans a quick overview of the Civ's unique leader abilities, traits, and any special units or buildings they might have. Following this approach would give players a good idea of the game's potential meta before release, and get fans excited to try any Civ that catches their eye. Dropping trailers consistently in the lead-up to Civilization 7's launch is also a great way to keep the game in the public consciousness, and continue building that hype up until release day.

Civilization 7's Civ Trailers Could Highlight Lesser-Known Factions

A major upside to Civilization 7 using Midnight Suns' marketing trick is that it would give Firaxis the opportunity to highlight some of the series' less popular Civs. For instance, Civs like America, England, Spain, and China are all usual fan favorites, meaning that they're much more likely to be played on launch day, whereas Civs like Norway, Sumeria, and Georgia are much less likely to be picked. These Civ-focused trailers could change that, however, as fans would be able to get an overview of every Civ before the game comes out, and potentially realize that a less popular Civ actually offers the best playstyle for them.