It’s official: after a mere 18 months, Paradox Interactive has ceased support for Millennia, their ambitious 4X strategy game. Designed by C Prompt to challenge giants like Civilization and Stellaris, Millennia aimed to fill a niche, even anticipating Civilization 7’s release. However, despite efforts with updates and expansions that slowly improved its Steam reviews, the game never quite achieved widespread success or found its loyal player base. Now, Paradox has confirmed its journey is at an end.
While our initial review praised Millennia for its reactive gameplay, giving it a respectable 7/10, we also noted that ‘a few key issues’ prevented it from truly shining. Sadly, developer C Prompt couldn’t overcome these challenges to establish Millennia as a top-tier 4X title. Even its two DLC packs, Ancient Worlds and Atomic Ambitions, struggled to gain significant traction, both falling just short of a ‘mostly positive’ rating on Steam.
Paradox officially announced, “With this patch, we are sadly coming to the end of an age.” They extended gratitude to C Prompt for their development work and acknowledged that Paradox itself would no longer engage with the Millennia community on public platforms. However, they assured players that direct support would continue, and the game would remain fully playable. The statement concluded with a heartfelt thanks to the entire community: “You’ve been with us from the dawn of Ancient Worlds through your wildest Atomic Ambitions, and it’s been an experience for the ages. We hope to see you again in a future era – and may you always prosper.”
While Millennia presented some compelling concepts, it ultimately lacked the crucial element needed to truly distinguish itself in a competitive market. This news arrives amidst a resurgence for its rivals. Early reports suggest Civilization 7’s patch 1.2.5 is a significant improvement, while Ara 2.0 addresses numerous player requests. The debut of Endless Legend 2 also offers a promising new entry, despite its upcoming early access period.
The announcement has predictably caused a further drop in Millennia’s recent Steam reviews. Players expressed their disappointment, with one commenting, “This was my promising Civilization 4 replacement, but sadly abandoned by Paradox before it could mature.” Another felt “ripped off,” stating, “This could/should have been good, but sadly it is unfinished and seemingly abandoned.” A third criticized the publisher, noting, “They sold an expansion pass and pumped out the content as fast as possible to then abandon the game. This has a certain ick to it.”
The final update for Millennia, ‘Update 8,’ is now available. Players can find detailed patch notes covering fixes, localization adjustments, and improved mod support on the Paradox forums.
If you’re looking for a new game to dive into, consider exploring some of the best turn-based strategy games or top management games available on PC.
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