Electronic Arts released both Alpha Centauri and its expansion, Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire, in 1999. Sid Meier, designer of Civilization, and Brian Reynolds, designer of Civilization II, developed Alpha Centauri after they left MicroProse to join with Jeff Briggs in creating a new video game developer: Firaxis Games. As the game progresses, Planet's growing sentience becomes a formidable obstacle to the human colonists. Set in a science fiction depiction of the 22nd century, the game begins as seven competing ideological factions land on the planet Chiron ('Planet') in the Alpha Centauri star system.
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri is a 4X video game, considered a spiritual sequel to the Civilization series.
