Civilization 6 makes big push into esports as major organization starts new team

Major esports organization Team Liquid announced today that it's making a push for the professional Civilization 6 scene with the creation of a new team. It was revealed that well known strategy game player Stephen "MrGameTheory" Takowsky is set to be the team's captain.

Team Liquid co-CEO Steve "LiQuiD112" Arhancet wrote on the organization's website that he started in competitive games with the Civilization franchise, and it was through Civ 4 that got him to pursue esports seriously.

"It was through competing in Civilization IV at the highest level that I found the confidence to jump into the world of esports and leave behind my job in the world of finance," he said. LiQuiD112 continued by talking about the virtues of competitive Civilization before focusing specifically on the player who'll lead the company's team, listing his accomplishments.

"MrGameTheory is a former world champion Civilization player who achieved the rank of #1 on the Civilization Revolution leader board, Civilization IV international league, and Civilization V international league," Arhancet detailed. "He holds the records for most 1v2, 1v3, 1v4, and 1v5 ladder victories in Civilization IV."

In a statement, MrGameTheory said that he's honored to lead Team Liquid's Civilization team and looks forward to "continue [his] contribution to one of the greatest gaming franchises."

"Participating in the competitive Civilization community with Steve Arhancet has been one of the great joys of my life," he wrote. "After we won our first Civilization Championship Cup back in 2007, with a team so small that we could barely participate in two-thirds of the events, I learned that a dedicated group of friends can accomplish the seemingly impossible. Civilization remains the most complicated game in the world, and I am thankful to be part of an organization capable of taking on the challenge."

Team Liquid will announce the addition of two more players to its Civilization 6 team on October 29, while it plans to host "a series of grueling tournaments" to try and find the "most exceptional players in the community." You can read the full post here.

With how long matches go for in the Civilization games, it'll be interesting to see if this esports push will be able to keep viewers invested and awake. As much as I like the idea of competitive Civ, it's definitely not as action-packed as games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Rocket League, and even League of Legends. Because of this, I have doubts that it'll be able to capture the attention of a wider audience.

In PC Gamer's review, critic T.J. Hafer called Civilization 6 "the liveliest, most engrossing, most rewarding, most challenging 4X in any corner of the earth."