Sid Meier’s Civilization is one of the oldest PC gaming series still finding popularity today, dating back to the first game’s release in 1991. Where other PC games fell off due to outdated mechanics, Civilization continued to refine its core gameplay whilst simultaneously updating itself with quality of life improvements. Now 34 years and 6 sequels later, Civilization 7 has once again ignited the passions of 4X strategy game aficionados waiting for the next entry in this definitive series. With 4X games having a moment on mobile as well, this is the perfect time to review the subgenre.
In this article we’re reviewing the debut performance of Civilization 7 on live-streaming platforms, including a review of Civilization 6’s success to anticipate how publisher 2K Games might boost the long-tail viewership of their latest title.
Civilization 7’s Launch Plays On Series’ Legacy
Civilization 7 took a note from many other AAA game releases of recent years by providing an Advanced Access period to certain players. Therefore, even though the game was fully released on the 11th of February, viewership for the game began a week earlier on the 5th of February. Looking at the debut week on live-streaming for Civilization 7, the game pulled in 4.1M hours watched with a peak viewership of 124K. For a more niche genre on live streaming, this was an impressive performance no doubt boosted by the series’ fantastic reputation. Note also that viewership in this Advanced Access week was almost exclusively from Twitch, with YouTube Gaming seeing a massive spike on the 11th of February and Chzzk streamers trying their hand at the game in the following week.
Due to this Advanced Access period, all the top streamers were players willing to shell out for a first look at the game. The top streamer supporting Civilization 7 was Russian streamer melharucos with 188K hours watched, managing to outperform big name streamer alanzoka with just 144K hours watched. Melharucos and many of the other streamers in the top 10 are avid fans of Civilization 7 and 4X strategy games more generally. Additionally, perhaps due to the popularity of strategy games in the region, the top streamers represented a diverse array of European languages from French to German.
Lessons to Learn from Civilization 6’s Best Quarters on Live Streaming
The last entry in the series, Civilization 6, came out just under 9 years ago in 2016. For games with such long spans between releases, keeping interest on live-streaming platforms can be difficult. It’s worth looking back at some of the biggest peaks in watch time for Civilization 6 over its lifespan to gain some insight into how Civilization 7 might remain relevant among online communities.
Civilization 6’s highest quarterly watch time came upon its release back in October of 2016, bringing in 5.1M hours watched. Over the next three or so years, the game struggled to draw in viewers with the exception of a notable spike of 3.1M hours watched in Q1 2019 with the release of Civilization 6: Gold Edition. It wasn’t until 2020 that Civilization 6 managed to find consistent success thanks to a combination of factors: COVID pushing up live-streaming viewership across all titles, and the release of the New Frontiers Pass which featured 6 DLC packs released on a bimonthly basis.
While DLC is well-known for boosting live-streaming viewership, the real brilliance of this strategy was the bimonthly release schedule. This gave players a roadmap of exciting content to anticipate which built consistency and a healthy streamer base for the game (similar to Nintendo’s strategy with the Booster Course Pass for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe). Thanks in part to this DLC strategy, well-known streamers decided to collaborate on playthroughs of the game, such as Japanese streamers fps_shaka and k4sen (4.1M hours watched in Q4 2022) and Russian streamers just_ns and melharucos (2.8M hours watched in Q1 2024). Civilization 7 should take note from this strategy, using consistent DLC releases and partnering with streamers to foster a community that understands the game’s intricate mechanics.
4X Strategy Game Hybrids Breaking Through the Noise
The 4X subgenre of strategy games is considered fairly niche, tending to appeal to hardcore enthusiasts with deep knowledge of game systems and game theory. Civilization’s ability to appeal to a broader player base has been the key to its success, with Civilization 6 being the most popular 4X game of recent years with 23.4M hours watched from 2022-2024. However, a growing number of games are taking a more loose interpretation of the 4X subgenre to reach even wider audiences, becoming disruptors in the space. Chief among these is Crusader Kings 3, which blended 4X and RPG gameplay to achieve 17M hours watched over the past three years. Trying out different genre hybrids may offer exciting new opportunities in the space, providing a way to mitigate the often unsatisfying endgames of 4X sessions.
All of the games considered in the graphic above are either 4X games or heavily feature 4X elements. But there are also a growing number of titles using the 4X label to hook in hardcore players into other genres. Consider the city builder genre which has taken off in recent years, with games like Manor Lords being (improperly) given the label of 4X. The more casual gameplay style may offer a welcome reprieve to players of 4X games however, creating new fans while satisfying the itch of watching one’s empire grow.
Civilization 7 may feel pressure to break from its strict 4X gameplay to pursue other game modes with different feelings (like city builders). This could be a smart choice for such an expansive game in the long run – but for now, Civilization 7 should more likely focus on their core fan base with frequent updates and responding to feedback to nurture a dedicated community before branching out. Stream Hatchet will see if Civilization 7 can hold people’s attention in the coming months.
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