SPARKS, MD — The hotly anticipated next installment of the popular Civilization franchise, Sid Meier's Civilization VII, will reportedly expand its tech tree system with a new "Bidenomics" research upgrade where inflation ruins everything and eggs go up to $12 a dozen.
"The Civilization franchise is rooted in history, and that includes modern history," said franchise creator and creative director Sid Meier. "Experiencing the real-time collapse of America has given us a lot of inspiration."
Its predecessor, Civilization VI, was released on October 21, 2016 — before Joe Biden implemented economic policies that brought the greatest economy on earth to its knees. This modern touchstone in history served as inspiration for the game's newest feature: a Bidenomics research upgrade.
"It's like any other upgrade on the tech tree, except that it just causes inflation to spiral out of control and the price of eggs to skyrocket," said Sid Meier. "It's really fun."
As in previous iterations, players take on the role of a famous world leader and manage a civilization, choosing its laws and policies while either fighting other nations or beating them on a quest for world peace or technological superiority. But now you can intentionally destroy your civilization from within, adding a new element of strategy as you fight yourself for no reason.
"We thought, if a world leader like Joe Biden could intentionally tank the economy, maybe we should let players do that too," said Producer Sammy Jones. "Now you can implement Bidenomics as Roman Emperor Julius Caesar or Mongolian Ruler Genghis Khan and wipe out your own civilization."
And for the first time ever, a modern American president has entered the foray as a playable world leader. You can now choose Joe Biden, who starts the game with the Bidenomics already researched and implemented. He's also joined by a unique advisor, Hunter Biden.
When playing as Joe Biden you can dispatch Hunter to other settlements to secure illicit deals, all while your people slowly starve to death.
Get ready to raise the cost of living when Sid Meier's Civilization VII releases on February 11, 2025.
Citing concerns about stiff competition from Amazon and an impossible-to-please Gen Z, Santa has announced he's hanging up the hat for good.
