With the release of Civilization 7, fans of the iconic strategy series may have noticed the absence of a familiar face: Indian leader Gandhi. A staple in the franchise since its inception in 1991, Gandhi's absence from the base game has sparked curiosity among the community. Known for the legendary, albeit mythical, 'Nuclear Gandhi' bug, his exclusion from Civilization 7 has left many wondering about his fate.
In an exclusive interview, Civilization 7 lead designer Ed Beach addressed the elephant in the room. "So I would say we haven't forgotten about anybody who's been in our game before," Beach assured fans. He hinted at a broader roadmap for the game, suggesting that while some civilizations might not make it into the initial release, they could appear later as downloadable content (DLC). "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 elaborated.
Beach further explained the challenging decisions behind selecting which civilizations to include at launch. "We've had the same situation where iconic civilizations haven't been in our base game before," he noted, referencing the absence of Mongolia and Persia in previous iterations. "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."
Despite Gandhi's absence from the base game, Beach's comments offer a glimmer of hope for his return. "So there's hope for Gandhi, yet," he concluded, indicating that fans might see the beloved leader make a comeback in future updates.
In addition to Gandhi, other civilizations like Carthage and Great Britain are slated to join Civilization 7 as part of The Crossroads of the World Collection DLC in March 2025, followed by Bulgaria and Nepal. This approach reflects Firaxis' strategy to keep the game fresh and engaging with regular content updates.
Meanwhile, Civilization 7 has faced some challenges with its 'mixed' user review rating on Steam. Community feedback has highlighted concerns about the user interface, a lack of map variety, and the absence of key features that fans have come to expect from the series. In response, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged the negative reviews but remained optimistic, stating that the "legacy Civ audience" would appreciate the game more as they spend more time with it.
For those eager to conquer the world in Civilization 7, our comprehensive guides can help. Learn how to achieve every Civ 7 victory, understand the biggest Civ 7 changes for Civ 6 players, and avoid the 14 crucial Civ 7 mistakes. Additionally, familiarize yourself with all the Civ 7 map types and difficulty settings to enhance your gameplay experience.
