Bruce Shelley

Civilization is the most iconic turn-based series of all time, but Sid Meier considered making it an RTS: 'It could have easily gone in different directions'

Sid Meier, the creator of the Civilization series, revealed that the iconic turn-based strategy game was initially considered as a real-time strategy title, similar to Age of Empires. Meier and Bruce Shelley explored this direction after the success of Railroad Tycoon, but ultimately decided that a turn-based approach would better suit the game's complexity and accessibility. Despite this, the exploration of RTS concepts influenced later games like Age of Empires and Rise of Nations.