The release of Civilization 7 has sparked excitement among fans of the iconic strategy series, but many are left puzzled by the absence of a familiar face: Indian leader Gandhi. Known for his presence in every base game of the franchise since its inception in 1991, Gandhi has become synonymous with Civilization. His legacy includes the legendary, though mythical, "Nuclear Gandhi" bug, which has become a staple of gaming lore.
However, Gandhi is conspicuously absent from the initial lineup of Civilization 7. To shed light on this omission, I reached out to Ed Beach, the lead designer of Civilization 7, who offered reassurance to Gandhi enthusiasts. Beach hinted that Gandhi might make a comeback as part of future downloadable content (DLC).
“So I would say we haven't forgotten about anybody who's been in our game before,” Beach stated. He also addressed the community's concerns about other missing civilizations, like Great Britain or England. “Certainly civilizations, there's a lot of consternation right now about where's Great Britain or England, why aren't they in our game?”
(Carthage and Great Britain will join Civ 7 as part of The Crossroads of the World Collection DLC in March 2025, followed by Bulgaria and Nepal.)
Beach elaborated on Firaxis’ strategy for selecting civilizations for the game. “But there's sort of a big, longer picture roadmap that we have, and some pieces fit better in the long picture roadmap than they do in the short picture one,” he explained. He referenced previous iterations where iconic civilizations like Mongolia and Persia were initially omitted from the base game, yet later added due to their historical significance.
“One thing I always think about is, we've had the same situation where iconic civilizations haven't been in our base game before,” Beach added. “We had both Mongolia and Persia missing from the base game of either Civ 5 or Civ 6, and both of those were just massive conquerors who ruled huge chunks of Asia during their time period. So we always have to leave somebody out. There're just too many popular choices and we always want to have a few fresh ones that sound really new and exciting to people. So things are getting left behind, but we always are looking at the big picture, when we're going to bring leaders or civs into the fold. So there's hope for Gandhi, yet.”
With this assurance from Beach, fans can hold onto hope that Gandhi will return to the Civilization universe in future updates.
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In the meantime, Firaxis is likely focusing on addressing Civilization 7’s ‘mixed’ user review rating on Steam. The community has voiced concerns over the user interface, a lack of map variety, and the feeling that the game launched without several key features that fans have come to expect.
In an interview with IGN ahead of the release of its third quarter financial results, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged the negative feedback but remained optimistic. He believes that the “legacy Civ audience” will grow to appreciate the game more as they play, describing Civilization 7’s early performance as “very encouraging.”
For those eager to master Civilization 7, our comprehensive guides can help you conquer the world. Check out our strategies for achieving every Civ 7 victory, our breakdown of the biggest Civ 7 changes for Civ 6 players, and the 14 crucial Civ 7 mistakes to avoid. We also provide detailed insights into all the Civ 7 map types and difficulty settings to ensure you’re fully prepared for your journey.
