Home There’s a new Civilization mobile game out, but the snag is you have to live in China to play it

There’s a new Civilization mobile game out, but the snag is you have to live in China to play it

The world may have gotten excited about the announcement of Civilization 7 recently, and we know there is a lot more to come on that soon, but meanwhile there is a closed beta test going on for a new mobile Civ game, but it is one that seems to have been made specifically for the Chinese market.

Mobile site GamingOnIphone discovered Civilization Mobile: World Origin (or with its Chinese name of World Qiyuan) and will be published there by 2K.

While obviously heavily Civilization-based with its legendary turn-based gameplay, the game seems to be more multi-player focused than normal and has a system called Four Emperors.

It is possible that if the game is successful it may eventually make a cross-over to the Western markets – there is, after all, nothing like a good bit of Civilization on the go but at this stage, the beta, which started on 16th June is only available in China and fully in Chinese.

At the recent Tencent Spark 2024 showcase, showing the Chinese giant’s upcoming games which was held at the end of May, the game was showcased as Civilization: World Source so it is unclear as to whether there has been a last-minute name change or something has just got lost in translation somewhere along the way.

This is the third closed beta and will not include a server wipe at the end of it, so it seems as though it may be due for a release, or at the very least an open beta shortly. Good news if you are in China.

Meanwhile, the world waits for information on what the main game in the franchise, Civ 7 will include, with Firaxis promising more news as soon as August. At the moment we know it is slated for a 2025 release and not much else at this stage.

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Paul McNally
Gaming Editor

Paul McNally has been around consoles and computers since his parents bought him a Mattel Intellivision in 1980. He has been a prominent games journalist since the 1990s, spending over a decade as editor of popular print-based video games and computer magazines, including a market-leading PlayStation title published by IDG Media. Having spent time as Head of Communications at a professional sports club and working for high-profile charities such as the National Literacy Trust, he returned as Managing Editor in charge of large US-based technology websites in 2020. Paul has written high-end gaming content for GamePro, Official Australian PlayStation Magazine,…

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