Last year, Firaxis surprised fans when it announced that Sid Meier's Civilization 6 would be getting a fresh round of DLC. This DLC would come in the form of the Civilization 6 Leader Pass, featuring multiple waves of content for players to enjoy. The final wave just released, and all eyes are now on the upcoming Sid Meier's Civilization 7. While not much is known about the project, Firaxis could use this opportunity to expand upon the Leader Pass concept.
Sid Meier's Civilization 6's Leader Pass functioned like a classic season pass that was free for most players. It was nice to get extra bits of content every couple of months, and each leader brought something exciting to the table. Civilization 7 could replicate that same steady stream of content in the form of a battle pass, albeit with a few changes to avoid the pitfalls of other game's systems.
Civilization 6's Leader Pass Explained
Most players believed that Civilization 6's New Frontier Pass would be the last batch of content, but Firaxis' Leader Pass featured six different waves of additional leaders. Anyone who owned all the Civilization 6 DLC prior could get this pass for free, whereas players who did not own all the DLC could purchase the Leader Pass for $19.99. The waves were not sold separately, so it was all or nothing.
Each wave had a central theme that represented the included leaders. The "Great Negotiators" pack included leaders who were known for their diplomatic skills, the "Rulers of China" pack featured leaders from throughout Chinese history, the "Great Builders" pack added leaders that helped build better worlds, and the "Rulers of England" pack offered prominent leaders from England's history. Each pack includes three characters, with some being alternate personas for base game leaders alongside brand-new additions to Civilization 6. While not every pack was great, each one helped expand the game's offerings and gave players a reason to keep coming back.
Civilization 7's Leader Pass Could Take Things to the Next Level
Civilization 6's Leader Pass was a nice idea, but Firaxis should take an entirely different approach with Civilization 7's Leader Pass. There are loads of leaders from throughout history that have not made their Civ debut yet, and there are many Civilization leaders who have been left to gather dust in older titles. A consistent stream of post-launch content updates could add a slew of leaders, and the best way to do that may be through a battle pass-like system.
Every post-launch season could feature new leaders for Civilization players to mess around with. It could simply come in the form of yearly Leader Passes that have multiple waves of DLC leaders, or it could be a battle pass-like structure akin to games like Fortnite. Battle pass season one could feature popular leaders from Sid Meier's Civilization, season two could include leaders from Civ 2, season three could have Civ 3 leaders, and so on. These leaders could be purchasable DLC, or players might actually have to unlock them by playing the game.
If Firaxis provides a steady stream of content, players would have more of a reason to keep jumping back on. The entire Civilization 7 meta could change every couple of months, and veteran players would never know what to expect. It could become the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate of the Civilization series, as long as Firaxis ensures that the content stays consistent and reasonably priced.
Sid Meier's Civilization 7 is currently in development.