It's good news for PC gamers plagued by separate launchers, as 2K Games have made the decision to drop the 2K launcher for Sid Meier's Civilization VI. In addition, they have also confirmed the 2K launcher will not be a thing when Sid Meier's Civilization VII releases some time in 2025.
News in brief
- Civilization VI no longer boots the 2K launcher before the game
- It's also confirmed that Civilization VII will not use the launcher
- Excitement continues to build for the next Civilization game
This surprise addition (or is a subtraction?) came as part of an update for Challenge 10, a time-limited challenge for long-time players of the game. While players scrambled to boot the game to get into their challenge and win their Hall of Fame badge, they noticed they were no longer greeted by the unwelcome need to navigate through the 2K launcher.
A note on the game's Steam page makes clear the change: "Alongside Challenge 10 going live on August 14, the new update also removes the 2K Launcher from Sid Meier's Civilization VI on Steam. In addition, Sid Meier's Civilization VII will not use the 2K Launcher on PC."
This is a very welcome change for most. While pushing through another launcher is an annoyance, it's one that's become unfortunately common in current games. Since Steam already acts as a launcher of sorts, another launcher is seen as completely pointless. And frankly, it is. What does 2K's launcher offer that Steam doesn't already? Since updates and news are already served through Steam, an extra bit of fluff between you and the game is completely irrelevant, and dropping it is a very good move from 2K.
It's also the first news we've heard about Sid Meier's Civilization VII since it was revealed in June. While details are thin on the ground, we know we can at the very least expect a familiar 4X game in the same vein. Aspects of the game are likely to change though, as 2K have not been averse to making big changes, from moving to a more cartoony art style, to changing the shape of the game's tiles entirely. We wait more news with bated breath.
