Firaxis released an updated Civilization V version more than two and a half months ago.
Firaxis released an updated Civilization V version more than two and a half months ago.
The small window that appears is the 2K launcher you're referring to. It remains technically present, though it's been removed from recent updates. When launching through Steam, the 2K window disappears and is replaced by a standard Steam interface.
You can safely remove it as long as you save the three essential .exe files. The start menu file is not required and appears to be in good condition. I suggest proceeding regardless since updating a broken version might not help.
This would fall under moving to alternative technology they can't or aren't willing to integrate into Civ V. Also, embedded web views in compiled applications behave differently, meaning even if an older IE-based solution was used within C#, it would remain functional until the server stopped supporting that browser engine. It seems irrelevant since this isn't a broad game launcher but just selecting the appropriate executable for pre-game use.
Interesting. I plan to leave some feedback on the Steam reviews that permit it and inquire if they've tried reinstalling since the January 22 update. This should give a clear indication of whether the issue has been resolved. The main drawback is that those who missed the patch got puzzled by the sudden switch from DX11 to DX9 after the changes. It was a straightforward fix, particularly if you've used a comparable launcher before. However, it definitely sparked many discussions and threads. Also, I don’t post much here but could you clarify how solutions function? Did I mistakenly label that comment as a solution? I don’t believe it addresses the problem and he’s wrong about bypassing Steam shortcuts. I wrote this late at night, so some details were unclear. I should have included a screenshot of the old and new launcher from the start, but I thought the thread would look better without all the quotes and links.