The Next Phase of Civitas

At Directive Games, our mission with Civitas has always been ambitious: to build a dynamic online world shaped by players’ actions and driven by community governance. We are still focused on that vision, but how we are building toward it has evolved.

Following up on our recent reveals on L2 and gameplay, we want to provide a recap of what has been going on with Civitas and, most importantly, where are we heading.

The move to IMX

To fully realize Civitas’ vision of a player-driven world, we need an infrastructure that can handle instant transactions, zero gas fees, and scalable on-chain interactions. That’s why we are transitioning to Immutable, a gaming-focused chain and a publishing partner. IMX is supporting us with:

• Access to ready-use blockchain tech and production guidance
• Infrastructure for gasless, fast and secure transactions
• Marketing and strategy alignment

At the same time, we want to ensure the value of current Civitas assets is protected, which is why the current Chosen of Civitas collection will continue to exist on L1 while still be operable in-game and compatible with any L2 assets.

How the migration will work

• Founder Collection recognition: The original Chosen of Civitas collection will be renamed Founder Chosen and receive a special Legendary trait, setting it apart from future Chosen collections. No migration, no bridging, transferring, etc. needed to use these Chosen.
• Fragments will be migrated to L2. We will snapshot current L1 Fragments, recreate them on IMX, and burn the originals. Users will need to connect their IMX Passport to their Directive Games account. 
• New collections on L2: All new assets collections will be released exclusively on L2, making them distinguishable from the Founder Chosen.

What it means to hold a Founder Chosen: exclusive benefits & expanded utility

Holding one or more Founder Chosen brings new privileges for those who have supported Civitas from the get-go.

New advantages for Founder Chosen holders

• Exclusive early access to playtests. Founder Chosen holders will be able to access playtests of Civitas before anyone else. Their feedback will be taken into account and potentially contribute to the direction of the game development.
• Rune drops. Founder Holders will receive occasional Rune (more on that later in this article) drops based on their Chosen rarity.
• Exclusive Cosmetics. Founder Holders will gain access to:
  • Unique profile frames
  • Special name colors
  • Exclusive icons on land cards

Civitas alpha playtests

As we get close to revealing Civitas' renewed gameplay, Founder Chosen holder will be able to join playtests of the alpha builds of the game. Here’s what you need to know about them:

• Founder Chosen will be the only ones able to join early playtests.
• Playtests will be feature-specific. Each playtest will encourage and reward certain gameplay styles, and introduce new mechanics, allowing players to familiarize and provide feedback on specific aspects of the game.
• Lands will be randomly assigned as off-chain assets. No purchases will be required as land won’t be an on chain asset.
• A new soft currency, Runes, will be introduced to Civitas. While it is not an on-chain asset, it’ll have a significant impact on the game economy between players.
• Leaderboards will track Rune usage, and rewards may be given to top players.
• Rune can be traded peer-to-peer in-game and used for collaborations.
• Runes might or might not be part of the full game, depending on further testing.

What happens after each playtest?

• Playtest progress will be reset, but on-chain assets (Chosen, Fragments) will remain untouched.
• Feedback forms will be distributed to those who participated. Results will be taken into consideration for further development of the game.
• Rewards might be distributed to participants. Details yet to be determined.

The first playtests will be exclusive to Founder Chosen holders, but will gradually open to a wider audience. 

This is an opportunity for Chosen Holders to get a head start on understanding the new economy and gameplay mechanics.

Rewards & passive income for Founder Holders

Founder Chosen holders will not only benefit from early playtest access but also from a steady stream of passive rewards.

Founder Holder rewards:

• Steady fragment rewards: Every month, Founder Holders will receive fragments 
• Daily check-in rewards: Founder Holders will receive Runes and potentially more drops for checking-in each day, with perks for streaks.
• Exclusive Events: Founder Holders will have access to special events where they can earn rare resources. More info on these events will be shared at a later date.

These long-term incentives ensure that Founder Holders continue to be rewarded as Civitas grows.

Fragments expanded utility

Fragments are a high-value resource essential for advanced gameplay. On top of being airdropped monthly to Founder Chosen holders, they will also be earned through various activities both in game and in the community.

Primary Uses:

• Chosen Equipment: Required for crafting Epic, Legendary, and Mythic gear.
• Expert Tools, Weapons, and Buildings: Essential for high-tier production and combat.
• Advanced Research: Unlocks specialized upgrades and strategic advantages.
• Crystals & Refinement: Used to craft and enhance powerful buffs.
• Land Development: Opens new opportunities for resources and influence.
• Era-Based Collections: Unlocks exclusive bonuses and cosmetic upgrades.

With the move to L2, burning Fragments will be optimized to reduce costs while maintaining their on-chain integrity. Their scarcity and strategic depth make them one of Civitas’ most valuable assets.

Gameplay: shifting the tech, not the vision

If you have been following our social media accounts, you may have noticed changes to the visual style of Civitas. This shift serves an important upgrade in executing our vision for a community-driven persistent online world.

Our original art style, while beautiful, was too time-intensive for the scale we are aiming for. Each building required hand-crafted variations across eras and levels. By adopting AI-enhanced pipelines trained on in-house art, we are now able to:

• Rapidly generate high-quality variations
• Scale iconography and environmental assets
• Keep our pipeline flexible and sustainable

This shift allows us to maintain our gameplay vision while expanding the world at a sustainable pace.

The road ahead

With the L2 announcement and new gameplay reveals, Civitas is entering its next phase. To ensure a smooth transition, we have prepared a comprehensive communication strategy, including:

• A new website with Directive Games account integration, wallets connections, daily check-in tracking, and Rune rewards.
• A detailed knowledge base and customer support tool (Theymes) to guide players and provide them any assistance that might be needed.
• A marketing push across social media, newsletters, and partnered media outlets.
• AMAs and community discussions to answer questions and provide clarity if needed.

We are also updating our whitepaper to reflect all the changes outlined above, including new tech stack and procedural tools, evolving $CITI utility, updated gameplay.

We are also in active conversation with investors, and a playable version of Civitas has already been shared with select partners. So while we are always raising capital (this is web3, after all), we are doing it from a position of strength.