Grand strategy game Humankind will let you design your own leader

Humankind, the next strategy game from Endless Legend creator Amplitude Studios—now part of Sega—is unmistakably inspired by the Civilization series. From the Stone Age onward, you'll build an empire, compete with neighbors, and construct towering wonders on a colorful map. But there are several key differences, one of which was highlighted today during the 2019 Game Awards.

Unlike Civ, Humankind is all about building up the fame of your leader—it's the battles you fight and the monuments you erect that that win a game, not conquest of the entire earth. To that end, you won't be playing a historical ruler in Humankind, but an avatar you create yourself.

"You can’t win history, that’s not what happens," said studio head Romain de Waubert de Genlis when we previewed Humankind earlier this year. "You write history. It’s not about who will be there in the end."

You can accrue fame at any time in the development of your civilization, and part of the challenge will be deciding when to move on from a particularly successful era to the next, and when to retain your current cultural identity and when to adapt.

“We’ll give you markers along the road,” said de Waubert de Genlis. “So you understand that yes, you’ve lost territory. Yes, you’ve lost colonies. But you’re strong, and you’re entering the sixth age as the most interesting country, with an amazing story. What you want to do is make sure you survive the last age and make sure we’re still talking about you at the end.”

The trailer above introduces the avatar system, and also shows off a bit of ground and naval combat. Humankind is expected to release in 2020. For a much more detailed overview of the game, read our preview from October.

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.