Editing Sid Meier

{{Short description|American game programmer and designer (born 1954)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Sid Meier
| image              = Sid Meier - Game Developers Conference 2010 - Day 4 (3).jpg
| caption            = Meier at the 2010 [[Game Developers Conference]]
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1954|02|24}}
| birth_place        = [[Sarnia]], [[Ontario]], Canada
| death_date         = 
| death_place        = 
| education         = [[University of Michigan]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
| occupation         = Businessman, computer programmer 
| years_active       = 1981–present
| employer           = [[2K Games]]
| known_for          = [[MicroProse]], [[Firaxis Games]], [[Civilization (series)|''Civilization'' series]]
| spouse             = Susan Meier
| children           = Ryan Meier
| awards             = [[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences#Hall of Fame|AIAS]] Hall of Fame Award (1999)<ref>{{cite web|title=D.I.C.E Special Awards|url=http://www.interactive.org/special_awards/details.asp?idSpecialAwards=8|access-date=January 22, 2017}}</ref>
}}

''' Sidney K. Meier''' ({{IPAc-en|'|m|aɪər}} {{respell|MIRE}}; born February 24, 1954) is an American businessman and computer programmer. A [[game programmer|programmer]], [[game designer|designer]], and [[video game producer|producer]] of many [[strategy video game]]s and [[simulation video game]]s, including the ''[[Civilization (series)|Civilization]]'' series, Meier co-founded [[MicroProse]] in 1982 with [[Bill Stealey]] and is the Director of Creative Development of [[Firaxis Games]], which he co-founded with [[Jeff Briggs]] and [[Brian Reynolds (game designer)|Brian Reynolds]] in 1996. For his contributions to the [[video game industry]], Meier was inducted into the [[Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences]] Hall of Fame.

==Early life and education==
Meier was born in [[Sarnia]], [[Ontario]], Canada, to parents of Dutch and Swiss descent, which conferred on him both Canadian and Swiss citizenship upon birth. When he was about three years old, his family moved to [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], where he was raised.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpX_F8VxlbY |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/RpX_F8VxlbY| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live| title=Firaxicon: An Evening with Sid Meier and Jake Solomon of Firaxis Games| publisher= Sid Meier's Civilization|date=October 8, 2014 |via= YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> At the [[University of Michigan]], he studied history and [[computer science]], graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in computer science in 1975.<ref name="kotaku">{{cite web| url= http://kotaku.com/the-father-of-civilization-584568276 |title=Sid Meier: The Father of Civilization |website= Kotaku.com |date=June 26, 2013 |access-date=August 25, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url= http://eecs.umich.edu/meier-bootcamp/details.html |title=Sid Meier's Game Design Boot Camp at the University of Michigan |website =Eecs.umich.edu |access-date=August 25, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Meaning-of-Civilization">{{cite magazine |last1=Jahromi |first1=Neima |title=Sid Meier and the Meaning of "Civilization" |url=https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/sid-meier-and-the-meaning-of-civilization |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=October 18, 2021 |date=September 22, 2021}}</ref>

==Career==
Following college, Meier worked in developing cash register systems for department stores.<ref name="Meaning-of-Civilization" /> During this timeframe, Meier acquired an [[Atari 800]] around 1981, an experience that led him to the realization of the potential for employing computer programming in the creation of video games. He found a co-worker, [[Bill Stealey]], who had a similar interest in developing games, and shared the games that Meier had developed. The two decided to establish a new company for computer game development subsequent to the widespread advancement and growth of the software and personal computer industries, which were developing extensively during the initial years of the 1980s.<ref name="glixel meier">{{cite news | url = http://www.glixel.com/interviews/civilization-creator-sid-meier-i-didnt-really-expect-to-be-a-game-designer-w480988 | title = 'Civilization' Creator Sid Meier: "I Didn't Really Expect to be a Game Designer" | date = May 8, 2017 | access-date = May 8, 2017 | work = [[Glixel]] | first = Chris | last = Sullentrop }}</ref>

===MicroProse===
{{rquote|right|Sid Meier has stated on numerous occasions that he emphasizes the "fun parts" of a simulation and throws out the rest.|''[[Computer Gaming World]]'', 1994{{r|brooks199405}}}}

Meier founded [[MicroProse]] with Stealey in 1982.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/5836022/remembering-the-house-that-civilization-built |title=Remembering The House That Civilization Built |last=Plunkett |first=Luke |date=August 31, 2011 |website=[[Kotaku]] |publisher=[[Gawker Media]] |access-date=September 8, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120110015058/http://kotaku.com/5836022/remembering-the-house-that-civilization-built |archive-date=January 10, 2012}}</ref> After a few initial [[2D computer graphics|2D]] action games, such as Meier's platformer ''[[Floyd of the Jungle]]'',<ref name="floyd_mania">{{cite web |url=http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-floyd-of-the-jungle_22318.html |title=Floyd of the Jungle |website=Atari Mania |access-date=March 16, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317102133/http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-floyd-of-the-jungle_22318.html |archive-date=March 17, 2018}}</ref> MicroProse settled into a run of flight simulation titles beginning with ''Hellcat Ace'' (1982) and continuing with ''[[Spitfire Ace]]'' (1982), ''[[Solo Flight (video game)|Solo Flight]]'' (1983), and ''[[F-15 Strike Eagle (video game)|F-15 Strike Eagle]]'' (1985), all designed and programmed by Meier.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rouse |first=Richard |date=2001 |title=Game Design: Theory & Practice |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oEv_RypcojwC |location=Plano, Texas |publisher=Wordware Publishing, Inc. |page=41 |isbn=1-55622-735-3}}</ref>

The first appearance of Meier's name on the retail box of a game was as the credited creator of ''Formula 1 Racing'' in 1982. In 1984 Stealey began marketing Meier himself, hoping to attract other developers by promoting him as an ''[[auteur]]'';{{r|Meaning-of-Civilization}} by 1986 MicroProse was using Meier's name and face in advertisements for its games.<ref name="run198602">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/run-magazine-26/Run_Issue_26_1986_Feb#page/n47/mode/2up | title=Another Great Simulation from Sid Meier - Author of F-15 Strike Eagle (advertisement) | work=Run | date=February 1986 | access-date=October 8, 2013 | page=48}}</ref> In 1987, the company released ''[[Sid Meier's Pirates!]]'', the first game with Meier's name in the title. He later explained that the inclusion of his name was because ''Pirates!'' is very different from the company's earlier titles. Stealey decided that Meier's name would make those who purchased the flight simulators more likely to play the game. Stealey recalled: "We were at dinner at a [[Software Publishers Association]] meeting, and [[Robin Williams]] was there. And he kept us in stitches for two hours. And he turns to me and says 'Bill, you should put Sid's name on a couple of these boxes, and promote him as the star.' And that's how Sid's name got on ''Pirates'', and ''Civilization''."{{r|kotaku}}<ref name="glixel meier" />

The idea was successful; by 1992, an entry in ''[[Computer Gaming World]]''{{'s}} poetry contest praised Meier's name as "a guarantee they got it right".<ref name="cgw199212">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=101 | title=CGW's Last Annual Game Poetry Contest | magazine=Computer Gaming World|date=December 1, 1992|access-date=July 5, 2014|page=48}}</ref> While emphasizing that he did not encourage MicroProse promoting his name, Meier did insist on doing all of the work on games himself, including sound and art, until work by artist Michael Haire,<ref>{{cite book|title=Sid Meier's Memoir!|last=Meier|first=Sid|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|year=2020|isbn=9781324005872|at=p. 50}}</ref> whom Stealey had hired for ''[[Silent Service (video game)|Silent Service]]'' (1985), persuaded him.{{r|Meaning-of-Civilization}} Meier is not always the main designer on titles that carry his name. For instance, [[Brian Reynolds (game designer)|Brian Reynolds]] has been credited as the primary designer behind ''[[Civilization II|Sid Meier's Civilization II]]'', ''[[Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri]]'', and ''[[Sid Meier's Colonization]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.gamespy.com/e32002/special/reynolds/|title=GameSpy: PC Games, Reviews, News, Previews, Demos, Mods & Patches|publisher=Archive.gamespy.com|access-date=November 26, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017112345/http://archive.gamespy.com/e32002/special/reynolds/|archive-date=October 17, 2008}}</ref><ref name="gslegacy">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/sidlegacy/colon.html|title=GameSpot Presents: The Sid Meier Legacy|website=GameSpot|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130812223912/http://www.gamespot.com/features/sidlegacy/colon.html|archive-date=August 12, 2013}}</ref> while [[Jeff Briggs]] designed ''[[Civilization III|Sid Meier's Civilization III]]'',<ref>{{cite news |last=Musgrove |first=Mike |date=December 10, 2001 |title=For the Fun of It |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/2001/12/10/for-the-fun-of-it/475e27a6-9baa-4509-ba0e-1c965b13d1bf/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=November 26, 2014}}</ref> [[Soren Johnson]] led ''[[Civilization IV|Sid Meier's Civilization IV]]'',<ref name="cavgames">{{cite web |url=https://www.computerandvideogames.com/142558/interviews/looking-back-civilization-iv/?skip=yes |title=Interview: Looking Back... Civilization IV |author=PC Zone staff |author-link=PC Zone |date=July 6, 2006 |series=Interviews: PC |publisher=[[Computer and Video Games]] U.S. |pages=1–3 |format=PHP |id=142558 |access-date=February 28, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726233931/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=142558&skip=yes |archive-date=July 26, 2010 |quote=We pull up a pew with developer Firaxis and talk deep, dark diplomacy.}}</ref> [[Jon Shafer]] led ''[[Civilization V|Sid Meier's Civilization V]]'',<ref name="GamePro1">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/215018/civilization-5/ |title=Civilization 5 |publisher=GamePro.com |last1=Murdoch |first1=Julian |last2=Wilson |first2=Jason |date=April 30, 2010 |access-date=August 10, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100503063127/http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/215018/civilization-5/ |archive-date=May 3, 2010}}</ref> and Will Miller and David McDonough were the designers of ''[[Civilization: Beyond Earth|Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/238152/We_should_have_been_more_audacious__A_Civilization_Beyond_Earth_retrospective.php |title='We should have been more audacious' - A Civilization: Beyond Earth retrospective |last=Parkin |first=Simon |date=March 5, 2015 |website=[[Gamasutra]] |access-date=March 5, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150306114423/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/238152/We_should_have_been_more_audacious__A_Civilization_Beyond_Earth_retrospective.php |archive-date=March 6, 2015}}</ref>

After the release of ''[[F-19 Stealth Fighter]]'', Meier focused on strategy games, later saying "Everything I thought was cool about a flight simulator had gone into that game."<ref name="gamedesigntheory">{{cite book|title=[[Game Design: Theory and Practice|Game Design: Theory & Practice Second Edition]]|last=Rouse III|first=Richard|publisher=Wordware Publishing|year=2005|isbn=1-55622-912-7|at=pp. 20–39}}</ref> Inspired by ''[[SimCity (1989 video game)|SimCity]]'' and ''[[Empire (1977 video game)|Empire]]'', he created ''[[Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon]]'' and later the game series for which he is most widely recognized, ''[[Civilization (video game)|Sid Meier's Civilization]]'',<ref name="gslegacy" /> although he designed only the first installment. Around 1990, Stealey wanted to expand MicroProse to produce arcade games, which Meier felt was too risky. Unable to resolve the matter with Stealey, Meier sold Stealey his half of the company, but remained with the company in his same role.<ref name="pcgamesn meier memoir">{{cite web|url = https://www.pcgamesn.com/sid-meiers-memoir-civilization | title = An excerpt from Sid Meier's Memoir! on the making of Civilization | first = Richard | last= Scott-Jones | date = September 1, 2020 | access-date = September 26, 2020 | work = [[PCGamesN]] }}</ref>

===Firaxis Games===
MicroProse, after it had become a [[public company]], merged with [[Spectrum HoloByte]] in 1993 under Spectrum's name, with Spectrum as the operating company. As a cost-cutting measure, Spectrum cut many of the jobs at MicroProse in 1996 and consolidated much of their operations. Meier, along with MicroProse employees [[Jeff Briggs]] and [[Brian Reynolds (game designer)|Brian Reynolds]], were dissastified with these decisions, and opted to leave the company to form [[Firaxis Games]] in 1997.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/1997/07/25/sid.html |title=Sid starts up. Again |date=July 25, 1997 |website=[[Forbes]] |access-date=September 26, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201045342/https://www.forbes.com/1997/07/25/sid.html#363c71b41b9a |archive-date=December 1, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Sid Meier Leaves Microprose |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=20|publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=August 1996|page=25}}</ref>

Firaxis continued to develop the same type of strategy games that Meier had developed at MicroProse, many of which are follow-ups to those titles, such as the new ''Civilization'' games and a remake of [[Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004 video game)|''Sid Meier's Pirates!'']] (2004). In 1996, he was granted a patent for a "System for Real-Time Music Composition and Synthesis" used in [[C.P.U. Bach]].<ref>{{Cite patent |inventor-last=Meier |inventor-first=Sidney K. |inventor2-last=Briggs |inventor2-first=Jeffery L. |inventorlink2=Jeff Briggs |publication-date= |issue-date=March 5, 1996 |title=System for Real-Time Music Composition and Synthesis |country-code=US |postscript=<!--None--> |description=A system for automatically generating musical compositions on demand one after another without duplication ... in a variety of genres and forms so that concerts based on generated compositions will have a varied mix of pieces incorporated therein. |patent-number=5496962}}</ref> ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' listed him in their "75 Most Important People in the Games Industry of 1995", calling him "a prolific developer of some of the best games in [MicroProse]'s catalog".<ref>{{cite journal|title=75 Power Players|journal=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=11|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|date=November 1995|page=51}}</ref>

According to Firaxis employees, Meier has been constantly developing a special game engine since around 1996 which he uses to [[prototype]] his game ideas and which he has not shared with anyone else. Dennis Shirk, a senior producer, said in 2016 that Meier would sometimes arrive at the office and announce he had a new game prototype for the company to try out and see if it could be developed further. The engine is believed by Firaxis employees to be based on his original ''Civilization'' source, but expanded over the years with updates that he or other engineers will write for him.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.pcgamesn.com/civilization-vi/sid-meier-civ-6 | title = Sid Meier prototypes his ideas on a 20-year-old engine only he knows how to use | first = Kirk | last= McKeand |date = June 15, 2016 | access-date = April 28, 2017 | work = [[PCGamesN]] }}</ref>

Meier worked with a team on a [[dinosaur]]-themed game starting in early 2000, but announced in an online development diary in 2001 that the game had been shelved. Despite trying various approaches, including [[turn-based]] and [[Real-time strategy|real-time]] gameplay, he said he found no way to make the concept fun enough. In 2005, he said, "We've been nonstop busy making other games over the past several years, so the dinosaur game remains on the shelf. However, I do love the idea of a dinosaur game and would like to revisit it when I have some time."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.firaxis.com/community/asksid_archive.php?n_id=1 |title=Ask Sid |date=August 2005 |website=Firaxis |access-date=February 5, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060326030256/http://www.firaxis.com/community/asksid_archive.php?n_id=1 |archive-date=March 26, 2006}}</ref>

An autobiography, ''Sid Meier's Memoir!: A Life in Computer Games'', was published on September 8, 2020, by [[W. W. Norton & Company]].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-08/sid-meier-s-memoir-recounts-the-life-of-legendary-civilization-creator?srnd=technology-vp | title = Creator of 'Civilization' Looks Back at One of the Longest Careers in the Industry | first= Jason | last =Schreier | date = September 8, 2020 | access-date = September 8, 2020 | work = [[Bloomberg News]] }}</ref>

===Development style===
''Computer Gaming World'' reported in 1994 that "Sid Meier has stated on numerous occasions that he emphasizes the 'fun parts' of a simulation and throws out the rest".<ref name="brooks199405">{{Cite magazine |last=Brooks |first=M. Evan |date=May 1994 |title=Pachyderm Platoon |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=118 |magazine=Computer Gaming World |pages=166, 168}}</ref> The magazine reported that year how "Meier insisted that discovering the elusive quality of fun is the toughest part of design."<ref name="cgw199407">{{Cite magazine |last1=Wilson |first1=Johnny L. |last2=Brown |first2=Ken |last3=Lombardi |first3=Chris |last4=Weksler |first4=Mike |last5=Coleman |first5=Terry |date=July 1994 |title=The Designer's Dilemma: The Eighth Computer Game Developers Conference |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=120 |magazine=Computer Gaming World |pages=26–31}}</ref> According to ''[[PC Gamer]]'', "Though his games are frequently about violent times and places, there is never any blood or gore shown. He designs and creates his games by playing them, over and over, until they are fun."<ref name="pcg">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/06/28/how-sid-meier-became-one-of-the-most-recognizable-names-in-pc-gaming/|title=How Sid Meier became one of the most recognizable names in gaming &#124; News|date=June 28, 2013|magazine=PC Gamer|access-date=August 25, 2013}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Meier lives in [[Hunt Valley, Maryland]], with his second wife Susan. He is a devout Christian, and he and his wife attend [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America|Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church]] in [[Cockeysville, Maryland|Cockeysville]], where he is the Director of Contemporary Music.<ref name="kotaku" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joabj.com/Balt/Sid.pdf|title=Game Boy Magazine : Sid Meier, May 1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808200022/https://www.joabj.com/Balt/Sid.pdf|publisher=Joabj.com|archive-date=August 8, 2017|access-date=March 28, 2025}}</ref> Susan was one of the original 13 employees at [[Firaxis Games]] along with Sid.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mobygames.com/person/14290/susan-meier/ | title=Susan Meier }}</ref> Meier has a son, Ryan Meier, who worked for [[Blizzard Entertainment]], [[Firaxis Games]], and [[Google]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-meier-90bb76a2/ | title=Ryan Meier - Cockeysville, Maryland, United States &#124; Professional Profile &#124; LinkedIn }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ur.umich.edu/update/archives/120522/bootcamp |title=Students experience 'boot camp' with legendary game designer Sid Meier |last=Hensel |first=Jennifer Judge |date=May 22, 2012 |website=ur.umich.edu |access-date=December 19, 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103093643/https://www.ur.umich.edu/update/archives/120522/bootcamp |archive-date=January 3, 2017}}</ref>

==Awards==
[[File:Sid Meier star, Walk of Game.JPG|thumb|Meier's star at the [[Walk of Game]] in the [[Metreon]], [[San Francisco]]]]
{{incomplete list|date=April 2013}}
In 1996, [[GameSpot]] put Meier at the top of their listing of the "Most Influential People in Computer Gaming of All Time", calling him "our [[Alfred Hitchcock|Hitchcock]], our [[Steven Spielberg|Spielberg]], our [[Duke Ellington|Ellington]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/15most/html/mi_01.html |title=GameSpot |date=May 17, 2005 |access-date=August 25, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130812225446/http://www.gamespot.com/features/15most/html/mi_01.html |archive-date=August 12, 2013}}</ref> That same year, ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' ranked him as eighth on the list of the "Most Influential Industry Players of All Time", noting that no game designer has had as many ''CGW'' Hall of Fame games as Sid Meier.<ref>''CGW'' 148: The 15 Most Influential Industry Players of All Time</ref> In 1997, ''Computer Gaming World'' ranked him as number one on the list of the "Most Influential People of All Time in Computer Gaming", for game design.<ref>''CGW'' 159: The Most Influential People in Computer Gaming</ref> In 1999, he became the second person to be inducted into the [[Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame]].<ref name="aias">{{cite web |url=http://www.interactive.org/special_awards/details.asp?idSpecialAwards=8 |title=Special Awards - Sid Meier, Firaxis Games |work=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |access-date=September 9, 2011}}</ref>

In 2008, Meier received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2008 [[Game Developer's Conference]].<ref name="lifetime-achievement-award">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamechoiceawards.com/pr/pr_2008_0108.htm |title=Game Developer's Choice Online Awards – Sid Meier |work=[[Game Developers Conference]] |publisher=[[UBM TechWeb]] |access-date=September 9, 2011}}</ref> In 2009, he came fifth in a ''[[Develop (UK magazine)|Develop]]'' survey that asked some 9,000 game makers about their "ultimate development hero".<ref name="kotaku" /> In 2009, he was ranked second in [[IGN]]'s list of "Top Game Creators of All Time", and was called "the ideal role model for any aspiring game designer".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/top/game-creators/2.html |title=IGN - 2. Sid Meier |work=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[News Corporation (1980–2013)|News Corporation]] |access-date=August 27, 2011}}</ref> In 2017, he was awarded the Life Achievement by the [[Golden Joystick Awards]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Chalk |first=Andy |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/here-are-your-2017-golden-joystick-award-winners/ |title=Here are your 2017 Golden Joystick Award winners |magazine=[[PC Gamer]] |date=November 17, 2017 |access-date=July 23, 2019}}</ref>

==Games==
Meier has been the developer, co-developer, and producer of many games.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.firaxis.com/company/bios.php?bioid=56 |title=Biographies: Sid Meier |website=Firaxis |access-date=October 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006124403/http://www.firaxis.com/company/bios.php?bioid=56 |archive-date=October 6, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.firaxis.com/?/about#legacy-2|title=Firaxis Games|website=www.firaxis.com|language=en|access-date=August 29, 2017}}</ref> A complete list of his works which includes early non-commercial titles is available in the appendix of ''Sid Meier's Memoir!''<ref name="memoir">{{cite book|title=Sid Meier's Memoir!|last=Meier|first=Sid|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|year=2020|isbn=9781324005872|at=pp. 277–278}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Release
!Game
!Notes

|-
| rowspan="4" |1981
|''Bank Game I''
|Meier was paid to make a game for a bank with a piggybank catching falling coins.<ref name="memoir" />
|-
|''Bank Game II''
|In Meier's second bank-game the goal was to cross the road to the bank.<ref name="memoir" />
|-
|''Faux Space Invaders''
|Written in assembly, and a local store bought five or ten copies.<ref name="memoir" /><ref name="the_history_of_civilization">{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-history-of-civilization |title=The History of Civilization |last=Edwards |first=Benj |date=July 18, 2007 |website=Gamasutra |access-date=February 12, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207011858/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1523/the_history_of_civilization.php?page=5 |archive-date=February 7, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|''Faux Pac-Man''
|''[[Pac-Man]]'' rip-off, developed as training and shared with the users group.<ref name="memoir" />
|-
| rowspan="5" |1982
|''Formula 1 Racing''
|The first commercial game by Sid Meier, published by Acorn Software Products Inc.<ref>[http://www.atarimagazines.com/rom/issue3/interview.php ROM MAGAZINE 3 — December 1983/January 1984 p 12], Peter Ellison</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.stanford.edu/group/htgg/cgi-bin/drupal/?q=node/237|title=Sid Meier's First(?) Game and an Early Look at MicroProse - How They Got Game|website=web.stanford.edu}}</ref>
|-
|''[[Hellcat Ace]]''
| Sid Meier's first project for MicroProse according to [[Bill Stealey]].<ref>Gamers at Work: Stories Behind the Games People Play, by Morgan Ramsay, p 40</ref>
|-
|''Chopper Rescue''
| Improved and commercial version of ''Hostage Rescue''. Sid Meier has said this was the first game he wrote at MicroProse.<ref name="the_history_of_civilization" />
|-
|''[[Spitfire Ace]]''
|
|-
|''[[Floyd of the Jungle]]''<ref name="floyd_mania" />
|
|-
| rowspan="4" |1983
|''[[NATO Commander]]''
|
|-
|''Wingman''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-wingman_5778.html |title=Wingman |website=Atari Mania |access-date=January 22, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127113803/http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-wingman_5778.html |archive-date=January 27, 2016}}</ref>
|
|-
|''Floyd of the Jungle II''
|
|-
|''[[Solo Flight (video game)|Solo Flight]]''
|
|-
|rowspan="2" |1984
|''Air Rescue I''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-air-rescue-i_146.html |title=Air Rescue I |website=Atari Mania |access-date=July 31, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208025436/http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-air-rescue-i_146.html |archive-date=February 8, 2016}}</ref>
|
|-
|''[[F-15 Strike Eagle (video game)|F-15 Strike Eagle]]''
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |1985
|''[[Silent Service (video game)|Silent Service]]''
|[[World War II]] submarine simulation game
|-
|''[[Crusade in Europe (video game)|Crusade in Europe]]''
|
|-
|''[[Decision in the Desert]]''
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1986
|''Conflict in Vietnam''
|Last Sid Meier game released for Atari 8-bit computers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari-400-800-xl-xe-meier-sid_team_906_8_G.html|title=List of Atari 400 800 XL XE Games : Meier, Sid, page 1|website=www.atarimania.com|access-date=August 28, 2017}}</ref>
|-
|''[[Gunship (video game)|Gunship]]''
|
|-
|1987
|''[[Sid Meier's Pirates!]]''
|A pirate simulation game based around life of a [[Piracy|pirate]], a [[privateer]], or a pirate hunter in the 16th-18th centuries. The first game to have Sid Meier's name included in its title.
|-
| rowspan="2" |1988
|''[[Red Storm Rising (video game)|Red Storm Rising]]''
|Nuclear submarine simulation game, based on the [[Red Storm Rising|novel]] by [[Tom Clancy]].
|-
|''[[F-19 Stealth Fighter]]''
|
|-
| rowspan="1" |1989
|''[[F-15 Strike Eagle II]]''
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1990
|''[[Sid Meier's Covert Action|Covert Action]]''
|An espionage game offering a range of arcade-style game modes.
|-
|''[[Railroad Tycoon|Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon]]''
|A [[business simulation game]] that paints the early development of railroads in the United States and Europe. With the release of ''Sid Meier's Railroads!'', this series now has four installments.
|-
| rowspan="1" |1991
|''[[Civilization (video game)|Sid Meier's Civilization]]''
|A vastly successful turn-based strategy game, that has now run to a franchise (see below). This is Meier's most successful game franchise to date, having sold over 73&nbsp;million copies as of August 2024.<ref>{{cite web |title=Take-Two report: the company's losses are increasing, Sid Meier's Civilization VII will be released early next year |url=https://wnhub.io/news/finance/item-44543 |access-date=November 14, 2024 |website=WN Hub |date=August 9, 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|1993
|''[[Pirates! Gold]]''
|Remake of 1987's ''Pirates!'' game that included several new features, such as extra missions. Paul Murphy was lead designer on the game.
|-
| rowspan="2"|1994
|''[[Sid Meier's Colonization]]''
|A turn-based strategy game themed on the early European colonization of the [[New World]].
|-
|''[[C.P.U. Bach]]''
| Meier's patented music-making program for [[3DO]], that became a commercial failure.<ref name="memoir" /><ref>''Sid Meier's Memoir!'', pp. 142–153</ref>
|-
|1995
|''[[Civilization (video game)#CivNet|Sid Meier's CivNet]]''
|A remake of ''Civilization'' with support for internet-based multiplayer gameplay.
|-
|1996
|''[[Civilization II|Sid Meier's Civilization II]]''
|Follow-up to Sid Meier's successful ''Civilization''; [[Brian Reynolds (game designer)|Brian Reynolds]] was lead designer on the game.
|-
| rowspan="2" |1997
|''[[Magic: The Gathering (MicroProse)|Magic: The Gathering]]''
|This would be the last game that Sid Meier worked on for MicroProse.
|-
|''[[Sid Meier's Gettysburg!]]''
|Sid Meier's first [[real-time tactical]] game.
|-
| rowspan="2"|1999
|''[[Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri]]''
|Brian Reynolds was lead designer on this adaptation of ''Civilization'' to an extraterrestrial theme.
|-
|''[[Sid Meier's Antietam!]]''
|''Sid Meier's Gettysburg'' and ''Antietam'' are part of his Civil War set.
|-
|2001
|''[[Civilization III|Sid Meier's Civilization III]]''
|[[Jeff Briggs]] designed the third installment of the series, with more complex rules, graphics and gameplay.
|-
|2002
|''[[Sid Meier's SimGolf]]''
|A [[golf]]ing simulation in which the player built their own [[golf course]] and played it against computer players, co-created by [[Maxis]]. (Not to be confused with Maxis' 1996 title ''[[SimGolf]]''.)
|-
|2004
|''[[Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004 video game)|Sid Meier's Pirates!]]''
|Follow-up to the acclaimed ''Pirates!'' game from 1987, updating the graphics and featuring some entirely new gameplay elements.
|-
|2005<!-- October 25 -->
|''[[Civilization IV|Sid Meier's Civilization IV]]''
|Designed by [[Soren Johnson]]. A full 3D engine replaces the [[Isometric video game graphics|isometric]] maps of ''Civilization II'' and ''III''.
|-
|2006<!-- October 17 -->
|''[[Sid Meier's Railroads!]]''
|When [[Take 2|Take-Two]] shut down [[PopTop Software]] and folded it into [[Firaxis]], Meier once again became responsible for the ''Railroad Tycoon'' series, and this is billed as the sequel to ''[[Railroad Tycoon 3]]''.
|-
| rowspan="4" |2008<!-- June 13 (announced June 28, 2007) -->
|''[[Civilization Revolution|Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution]]''
|A [[seventh generation console]] edition of ''Civilization''.
|-
|''[[Pirates! Gold|Sid Meier's Pirates! Mobile]]''
|The game was developed and published by Oasys Mobile and was led by one of the original programmers for ''Pirates! Gold''.
|-
|''[[Railroad Tycoon (series)|Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon Mobile]]''
|Developed by Blue Heat and published by Oasys Mobile. This mobile version allows players to build their own transportation empire.
|-
|''[[Civilization IV: Colonization|Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization]]''
|A 2008 remake of the 1994 ''Colonization'', and a standalone game based on the ''Civilization IV'' engine.
|-
|2010<!-- NA: September 21; REST: September 24 -->
|''[[Civilization V|Sid Meier's Civilization V]]''
| Headed by [[Jon Shafer]] with new features.
|-
|2011
|''[[Civilization World|Sid Meier's CivWorld]]''
|A [[massively multiplayer online game]] released on [[Facebook]]. Game closed down on May 29, 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.2k.com/hc/en-us/articles/201332863-CivWorld-Shutdown-Frequently-Asked-Questions|title=CIVWORLD SHUTDOWN: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS|publisher=2K Games|access-date=November 26, 2014}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" |2013
|''[[Sid Meier's Ace Patrol]]''
|A World War I flight strategy game published by [[2K Games]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-08-27-sid-meiers-ace-patrol-launches-on-steam|title=Sid Meier's Ace Patrol launches on Steam|date=August 27, 2013|work=Eurogamer.net|access-date=November 26, 2014}}</ref>
|-
|''[[Sid Meier's Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies]]''
|A World War II flight strategy game published by 2K Games.
|-
| rowspan="2" |2014
|''[[Civilization Revolution 2|Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution 2]]''
|A mobile sequel to ''Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution''.
|-
|''[[Civilization: Beyond Earth|Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth]]''
|A spiritual successor to ''Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri'' built atop the ''Civilization V'' engine.
|-
|2015
|''[[Sid Meier's Starships]]''
|Follows on from ''Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth.''
|-
|2016
|''[[Civilization VI|Sid Meier's Civilization VI]]''
|Sixth main title in the [[Civilization (series)|''Civilization'']] series.
|-
|2025
|''[[Civilization VII|Sid Meier's Civilization VII]]''
|Seventh main title in the [[Civilization (series)|''Civilization'']] series.
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Sid Meier}}
{{wikiquote}}
* [http://www.firaxis.com/?/about#legacy-2 Sid Meier's biography and games history at Firaxis.com]
* {{moby developer|id=3|name=Sid Meier}}
* {{IMDb name|id=1027075|name=Sid Meier}}
* [https://www.sidmeiersmemoir.com/ Official site for "Sid Meier's Memoir!"]

{{Firaxis}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meier, Sid}}

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