Firaxis are releasing a patch for Civilization 5 today which will see a Pitboss multiplayer mode added to the turned based strategy title.
According to the patch notes, which you can read here, Pitboss mode "allows players to connect, take their turn, disconnect, and come back later. Email notifications and Steam notification are built into the system."
Aside from allowing people to be more flexible in how and when they play the patch also brings with it an observer mode, support for custom maps in multiplayer, AI tweaks, new terrain art, bug fixes and more.
Initially Pitboss will need someone to act as server but in time Firaxis plans to issue a standalone server which will not require a Steam account, "once the system has received a healthy amount of feedback from the community."
The patch will be released at some point today and should automatically be added to your game through Steam.
Next week, Civilization 5: Brave New World is set to be released as the second major expansion for the game and you can see the launch trailer here.
Source: ShackNews.