Civilization 5 Pre-Order Bonuses Detailed, Eventually Sold as Paid DLC

Publisher 2K Games has detailed the retailer-specific pre-order bonuses for Civilization V, taking the form of map packs. These map packs will be "available for later purchase as DLC."

Screenshots of the four map packs available at different retailers.

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca
• Cradle of Civilization Map Pack: Asia - "The Indus River valley was home to the early Harappan civilization while the Yellow River valley in China saw the rise of the earliest Chinese dynasties. Both these regions are included on the same map."

Walmart
• Cradle of Civilization Map Pack: The Americas - "Although civilization blossomed later in the western hemisphere, the region from Peru in the south to Mexico in the north was just as important as an incubator for the development of ancient cultures.

  This map spans this rugged area of jungles and highlands."

GameStop / EB Canada
• Cradle of Civilization Map Pack: The Mediterranean - "The period of Classical Antiquity saw the rise of city states from Phoenicia, Greece, and later Rome and Persia.

  Their struggles all centered on the great sea in the 'Middle of the Earth,' hence the name Mediterranean. This map covers the entire Mediterranean basin including the nearby peninsulas and coasts where these great empires grew and prospered.

Steam
• Cradle of Civilization Map Pack: Mesopotamia - "This is the traditional Western and Middle Eastern 'Cradle of Civilization.' It includes the Fertile Crescent, with the Nile River valley to the west and extending east down the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys to the Persian Gulf."

Those pre-ordering through Direct2Drive will get a free copy of Civilization III Complete and the "Double Civilization and Scenario Pack" DLC for Civilization V, scheduled for release in "late 2010."

Civilization V will be released next Tuesday for the PC. It utilizes Steamworks for DRM and will require the installation and use of Steam regardless of where you purchase the title.