2K Games is expected to show the first trailer footage of the upcoming Civilization VII as part of this weekend's Summer Games Fest marketing extravaganza after a logo for the game leaked on 2K's website this morning.
Eagle-eyed gamers at ResetEra and Reddit both noticed the Civ VII banner atop the publisher's official site early this morning, alongside a "Coming Soon" label and inactive links to a trailer and wishlist page. The appearance comes just ahead of the trailer-filled Summer Games Fest livestream, which will premiere at 5 pm Eastern Friday afternoon.
In May, the Summer Games Fest Twitter account teased that 2K would be using the event "to reveal the next iteration in one of [its] biggest and most beloved franchises." Civilization VII now seems primed to fill that pre-announced slot, which may be unwelcome news for fans of 2K-owned franchises like Borderlands, Bioshock, and NFL2K (which was first publicly mulled for a revival in 2020).
Last year, developer Firaxis announced that it had started development on the "next mainline game in the world-famous Sid Meier’s Civilization franchise," under the guidance of Civilization VI Creative Director Ed Beach and newly promoted studio head Heather Hazen (who previously worked with Epic Games and Popcap). "We have plans to take the Civilization franchise to exciting new heights for our millions of players around the world," Hazen said in a statement at the time.