Two and a half decades after the original was released, Firaxis has announced the next game in the Civilization franchise.

And the best part of the announcement is that this won’t be a long drawn out marketing campaign filled with minor reveals and months of ‘mystery’. Civilization VI will be available to pick up on October 21st.

New features will include expansive empires, with cities growing across multiple squares on the map. Diplomacy will change over time, ranging from early conflict-focussed civilizations to more modern options as history progresses.

Support units can now be embedded with other types of unit, while similar types of units can combine into ‘corps’.

Civilization VI will contain new multiplayer modes, new tutorials, enhanced options for veteran players and is available to pre-order now for $59.99/£49.99/€59.99.

Ed Beach, lead designer at Firaxis Games, said:

“Sid Meier’s Civilization VI builds on the firm foundation of the Civilization franchise, and we’ve added many exciting new elements.

“The visual presentation of the game is inspired by the maps and tools of the Age of Exploration, and we’ve made several key gameplay changes such as expansive cities and active research that makes Sid Meier’s Civilization VI an entirely unique experience while remaining true to what makes the Civilization series so special.”

Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K, said:

“Sid Meier’s Civilization games hold a reputation for defining the 4X gaming genre for the past 25 years

“We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the silver anniversary of our longest-running franchise than launching the eagerly anticipated Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, which will provide the most detailed, beautiful and complete experience ever featured in a Civilization game.”