The early Civilization bird gets the Aztec worm.
Publisher 2K and developer Firaxis revealed today that those who preorder the upcoming turn-based strategy game Civilization VI will get early access to the Aztec civilization, one of the cultures you can play as in the game. Civilization VI launches on October 21 for PC. The series is one of the most popular strategy franchises, with sales reaching over 33 million copies.
Preorder bonuses can be a tricky dance for publishers. While they encourage people to buy a game early, they can annoy customers who don’t like to preorder if they feel like they’re missing out on exclusive content. 2K seems to have avoided this problem by promising to release the Aztecs for free to all players three months after the game’s launch. Preordering just gets you early access.
You can learn more about the Aztecs in Civilization VI from the game’s new video.
In case you need a little history lesson on the Aztecs’ leader in the game, Montezuma I, 2K and Firaxis have given us a little primer in a press release.
“Montezuma I, born in 1398, was the fifth king of the city of Tenochtitlan and second emperor of the Aztecs,” the companies described. “His 29-year reign was categorized by a major consolidation and expansion of the Aztec Empire, also known as the Triple Alliance, as well as enacting a new series of sumptuary laws — which aim to curb rampant consumption of goods and decadent lifestyles — that reinforced an already existing class system permeating every facet of Aztec life.”