Great news today for gamers who enjoy investing tens of hours into nurturing a ragtag bunch of stone age settlers into a civilized society. Sid Meier's Civilization 5 is going to be getting its most elaborate expansion yet in the upcoming Gods & Kings pack, which 2K pegs for a late spring 2012 release.

In addition to adding new civs (nine of them), scenarios (three, including a "Victorian science-fiction scenario" for you steampunk lovers), technologies, units, buildings and Wonders, you'll also see some added and expanded features. Religion is coming back, for starters. You'll also see tweaks to the combat AI, diplomacy/espionage mechanics and two new types of city-states.

Hit the jump for the full rundown of key press release bullet-points, if you're into that sort of thing.

• Expanded Epic Game: The core game experience has been greatly expanded with the addition of new technologies, 27 new units, 13 new buildings and nine new Wonders.
• New Civilizations and Leaders: The expansion features nine new civilizations including Carthage, the Netherlands, the Celts and the Mayans, each with unique traits, units and buildings. Gods & Kings also adds nine new leaders including William I, Prince of Orange, Boudicca and Pacal the Great.
• New Game Scenarios: Three new scenarios let gamers experience the medieval period, the fall of Rome, and embark on a new adventure in Empires of the Smoky Skies, a Victorian science-fiction scenario.
• The Return of Religion: A first for Civilization V, players seek out Faith, choosing a Pantheon of the Gods and creating Great Prophets to found and spread their customized religion across the world. 
• World Domination: The fight for world domination is more dynamic than ever. Gods & Kings features a reworked combat system and AI that places more emphasis on a balanced army composition. Additionally, the navy is now split into two different ship types, melee and ranged, making coastal cities vulnerable to a surprise naval attack.
• Enhanced Diplomacy and Espionage: Establish embassies at foreign courts for closer ties or clandestine operations. As the religions of the world start settling in and the world moves into the Renaissance, spies can be unlocked to establish surveillance of foreign cities, steal advanced technologies from your strongest competitors, or garner influence with City-States through election rigging, or even a coup.
• City-States: Two new city-state types have been added, Mercantile and Religious, adding new gameplay to a greatly expanded quest system to further the narrative of the game and making diplomatic victories more challenging.