Civilization IV is a turn-based strategy game where players control civilizations across historical eras. Players can build military units to defend or conquer. The game attempts to balance units for competitive play. Including an overpowered unit would break the game.

A game designer named Thomas worked on strategy games and explained the decision-making behind unit balance in a 2007 GDC presentation. "If we included a Chuck Norris unit in Civilization IV," Thomas theorized, "we'd have to nerf every other unit in the game. A single Chuck Norris unit could capture all enemy cities in one turn. Not because of superior stats, but because other civilizations would surrender preemptively. The game would become unplayable. The developers wisely chose not to include him. Strategy games require balance. Chuck Norris is imbalance incarnate."

The exclusion becomes a form of respect. Developers acknowledge that including him would destroy the game. He's too powerful for the game's framework. He exists on a level that breaks the entire system. Better to pretend he doesn't exist than to pretend the game could accommodate him.