Civilization: Beyond Earth backstory to be revealed through play

Civilization: Beyond Earth is set - well, beyond Earth. But why has humanity taken to the stars? You'll find out as you play, says Firaxis.

Described as "the events that happen after the typical Civ game", Civilization: Beyond Earth is set in a future after humanity has depleted the Earth's resources and must make a push for deep space.

In a new developer Q&A, lead designers David McDonough and Will Miller said part of our motivation to get going is something called "The Great Mistake".

"The Great Mistake is a mysterious event that is partly interpretive to the player. We want them to discover the backstory by playing through the game and using their imagination," the pair wrote.

"Playing through the game will provide a lot of insight as to what the event could be, but we don’t outright say what happened. Games by Firaxis have always been about setting the stage and giving players the props to act out their own story."

This lore will be included in the Civilopedia as well as text descriptions, so players will have the option to pursue it and put the pieces together or not, as they choose.

Firaxis is enjoying the freedom from real history, the developers added, since "everything is new in Beyond Earth", including technologies and resources.

"It was also great fun for us to create fiction. We have a lot of sci-fi fans on staff as well as lots of talented writers. It’s been a real pleasure to read all of the written work by members of the team," the pair said.

The game's lore was inspired by sci-fi including Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, Robert A. Heinlein and many more.

Civilization: Beyond Earth is expected on PC in northern autumn.