Civilization 7 Dev Firaxis Says 'There's Hope for Gandhi, Yet'

The release of *Civilization 7* has left many fans of the iconic strategy series puzzled over the absence of a familiar face: Indian leader Gandhi. A staple in every base game since the franchise's inception in 1991, Gandhi's absence has sparked curiosity and concern among the community. Not only is he a beloved character, but he's also famously associated with the 'Nuclear Gandhi' glitch—a myth that has become a legendary part of gaming lore.

However, fear not, Gandhi enthusiasts. In a conversation with *Civilization 7* lead designer Ed Beach, it was revealed that the omission of Gandhi from the base game is not a permanent farewell. Beach expressed a clear intention to bring Gandhi back as part of future DLC, offering hope to those missing the iconic leader.

“So I would say we haven't forgotten about anybody who's been in our game before,” Beach assured. He acknowledged the community's concerns, mentioning the absence of Great Britain and England as well. “Certainly civilizations, there's a lot of consternation right now about where's Great Britain or England, why aren't they in our game?”

Firaxis has planned a broader roadmap for *Civilization 7*, with Carthage and Great Britain set to join the game in The Crossroads of the World Collection DLC in March 2025, followed by Bulgaria and Nepal. Beach emphasized that some civilizations fit better into the long-term vision than the immediate release, saying, “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.”

Beach further elaborated on the selection process for civilizations in *Civ 7*, noting historical precedents where iconic civilizations like Mongolia and Persia were initially left out of base games. “One thing I always think about is, we've had the same situation where iconic civilizations haven't been in our base game before,” he explained. He stressed the necessity of leaving some popular choices out to introduce fresh and exciting content, while reassuring fans that, “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.”

In the meantime, *Civilization 7* faces its own set of challenges, with a 'mixed' user review rating on Steam due to complaints about the user interface, lack of map variety, and missing features. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, in an interview with IGN, acknowledged these negative reviews but remained optimistic about the game's future, stating that the “legacy Civ audience” will appreciate it more with time, and described the game's early performance as “very encouraging.”

For those eager to conquer the world in *Civilization 7*, resources are available to help you succeed. Check out our comprehensive guides on achieving every Civ 7 victory, understanding the biggest Civ 7 changes for Civ 6 players, avoiding the 14 crucial Civ 7 mistakes, and exploring all the Civ 7 map types and difficulty settings.