The complete history of Civilization, as told by Sid Meier and more | Full Documentary
Polygon
Oct 22, 2026 20:00
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44 years ago, Sid Meier and Bruce Stealey met in Las Vegas to discuss setting up a video game business together. Their nascent studio, MicroProse, would specialize in military simulator games — but Meier itched to do something new. He'd seen how players found joy in watching their decisions shape a simulation and, following the positive reception to Railroad Tycoon, had an instinct that history could capture people's imaginations.
Thus was born Civilization and the creative philosophy that shaped the genre-defining series over the next 35 years. Even as the series changed hands, each successive game came into existence facing the same challenges: tumultuous changes in leadership and vision, tension between tradition and innovation, and no shortage of doubt from backers and consumers. And yet Civilization has endured, shaped as much by the people who play it as the ones who create it and etched into the video game landscape as one of the greats.
To mark the 35th anniversary of Civilization, Polygon spoke with some of the people who created and stewarded the series over the decades. They tell the story of how Civilization became the franchise we know today. Rome, it seems, was not built in a day.
Read Polygon's full oral history of Civilization: https://www.polygon.com/civilization-games-oral-history/
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