ESRB appears to have leaked two more leaders for Civilization 7 because they’re spicy

Oblique attack tactics ain't exactly straight

Firaxis / 2K Games / Take-Two Interactive

Firaxis has been busy revealing the Civilization 7 leaders and civs over the last couple of weeks and will remain so for the coming months, but the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) appears to have ruined a couple of surprises.

In its rating for Civilization 7, which is rated suitable for ages ten and above, the ESRB may have spoiled the reveal of two additional leaders – the Prussian king Frederick the Great and Russian queen Catherine the Great.

“Friedrich cultivated a court where he could express his sexuality – if not entirely openly, at least in private,” the ESRB quoted an in-game description. The general consensus among historians is that Frederick the Great (called Friedrich der Große in German) was homosexual. Obviously, this was a pretty big taboo in Prussia at the time, so he could not live that out in public. Instead, Old Fritz cultivated an inner circle around himself that was exclusively composed of men with excellent education, making him one of the prime examples of an enlightened absolutist ruler.

One of the few women Frederick had a positive opinion of was a fellow German noblewoman: Russia’s queen Catherine the Great – and she’s likely the other leader leaked by the ESRB, though there is a little more room for different interpretations here.

“Her internal rule was a strange series of sexual politics. She would often appoint her lovers to high-status positions,” the rating quoted. Some of Catherine’s sexual escapades have been blown out of proportion by hostile sources and need to be regarded as raunchy legends at best. What’s less contested is that she did indeed favor her various lovers politically, sometimes playing them against each other to ensure her own position – which was always a tenacious one, being a queen of foreign origin.

It’s not a description exclusively fitting her, but there is little doubt that Catherine is among the most reasonable guesses for its origin.

Since Civilization 7 is decoupling leaders from playable nations, it’s not a given that Prussia and Russia will make it into the game – though there still are enough open spots in the Exploration and Modern Ages to accommodate them at the moment.

It would not be the first rodeo for either leader in the series: Frederick led Germany in the series’ first game and Catherine has been Russia’s leader on two occasions already, such as in Civilization 5 – the article header shows her portrayal there.

For more on the game, check out our Civilization 7 developer interview from Gamescom 2024.