TheCivilizationfranchise has been at the very forefront of the online multiplayer movement ever since its first entry all the way back in the early 1990s. Though the firstCivilizationlaunched as a single-player-only title in 1991, it received online functionality in 1995 withCivNet, allowing for up to seven friends to play together wirelessly. Though it took a lengthy hiatus afterCivNet, online multiplayer has become a staple oftheCivilizationfranchise, with both turn-based and simultaneous game modes being available.
Over the years, theCivilizationfranchise has experimented quite a bit with different forms of multiplayer. Co-op game modes have been introduced, unique multiplayer scenarios have been added, and even a couch co-op mode has been made available in someCivilizationentries, requiring the players to pass the controller between turns. But whileCivilization’s multiplayerhas been largely perfected, there’s still one key area that it could improve upon.
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Civilization 7 Needs a Crossplay Feature
Crossplay is still a relatively new concept in the gaming industry, at least when it comes to consoles. Despitethe Sega Dreamcastexperimenting with PC crossplay for a select few titles back in the day, crossplay is a feature that’s only just becoming commonplace. For those that don’t know, crossplay is simply when those playing on a PC can play with those on a console, and vice versa, as well as those playing on Xbox being able to join those on PlayStation.
For the last few years, crossplay has become a hotly debated topic in the gaming industry. For a while, Xbox was the one leading the charge on crossplay, openly experimenting with it in the mid-2010s. In 2016, Xbox announced that it was making its first big strides into crossplay, allowing PC and XboxRocket Leagueplayers to play with each other. While PlayStation was initially quite reluctant to open its servers up for crossplay, Xbox’sRocket Leagueinitiative took the industry by storm, and PlayStation couldn’t ignore it any longer. Since then, crossplay has been widely available on a number of multiplayer-focused cross-platform titles, ranging fromFortnitetoCall of Duty.
For the most part, crossplay is a mutually beneficial system for all parties involved. For gamers, it allows them to play with their friends regardless of where they play, and forXbox, PlayStation, and Steam, it increases the longevity of a game by ensuring that its lobbies are always full. However, crossplay isn’t perfect, at least not yet. One of the biggest issues players face with crossplay is the increased chance of encountering cheaters or modders when playing on PC servers. Though it doesn’t happen 100% of the time, console players will occasionally come into contact with modders in an online multiplayer session, and that can easily ruin their perception of crossplay.
Regardless of its slight downsides, crossplay should definitely come toCivilization 7. Even despite still receiving content updates,Civilization 6has never received the ability to play online multiplayer with those across different platforms, and that’s a real shame. Crossplay could do a lot forCivilization 7, potentially bringing in a whole crowd of new players that have been convinced to try the game by their friends on other platforms. Those players are much less likely to try the game out if they can’t then play with those who recommended it in the first place. Crossplay is starting to become the norm for big-budget, multiplayer-focused titles, andCivilization 7ought to be one of those.
Civilization 7is in development.
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