Prolific Mac porter Aspyr announced today that the Mac and Linux ports for the upcoming Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth will be available this holiday season.
Civ V Is Free To Play Until Beyond Earth Comes Out For PC
According to Aspyr's FAQ on the Mac and Linux ports, the Mac version of Beyond Earth will launch on Steam and Apple's App Store this holiday season, with the Linux version following shortly after. For those who still want to take advantage of Beyond Earth's preorder bonuses, Aspyr is offering preorders for Steam codes through its own retail website. Players who preorder through them will receive the same Exoplanets Map Pack that PC preorders include. The game will also support Steam Play, meaning the purchase of one version allows access to all three versions on Steam once they become available.
As another interesting announcement, Aspyr stated in the FAQ that they plan to include Steam Workshop mod support in their Mac and Linux ports, support that isn't offered in Civ V's ports. Though the publisher warns that mod support likely won't be present at launch, Aspyr still says that it plans to implement that support in time.
Replacing Civ V's Happiness System With Beyond Earth's Health
Aspyr has worked plenty with 2K Games and the Civilization franchise before. The company is responsible for putting Civ III, IV and V on Mac and even gave Civ V Linux support as well. The company has also worked on bringing game franchises like Borderlands and BioShock to Macs.
Civilization: Beyond Earth will be coming to PCs starting October 24. Mac and Linux players should expect to see the game a month or two after that.