Strauss Zelniek Upbeat on Civilization 7 Prospects

Civilization 7 has experienced a challenging debut on Steam, that much is evident. Since its February release, the strategic sequel has faced difficulties in retaining players on Valve's platform. User reviews on Steam reflect a "mixed" reception. Even with multiple patches released by developer Firaxis aimed at improving player sentiment, Civilization 7 finds itself in an unfortunate position, attracting fewer concurrent players on Steam than both Civilization 6 and the 15-year-old Civilization 5.

Of course, the game's performance on Steam doesn't tell the whole story. Civilization 7 also launched on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version—enhanced with new Joy-Con mouse controls—set for release soon. However, the PC platform remains the core audience for the Civilization franchise, and it's there that Civ 7 is evidently facing its greatest challenges.

Given these circumstances, one might expect Firaxis's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, to be less than satisfied. However, in an interview with IGN ahead of the company's latest earnings report, CEO Strauss Zelnick expressed that he is "thrilled" with Civilization 7's progress so far.

"I'm thrilled with Civ 7 so far," Zelnick stated. "That said, we encountered some initial issues, and our Firaxis team has done excellent work in resolving them. There is still more to be done. I am optimistic that this ongoing effort will meet player expectations and that we will ultimately have a very successful title on our hands."

Zelnick then highlighted the Civilization series' history of having extended sales cycles compared to many other games, expressing confidence that Civ 7 will follow a similar pattern.

"Historically, with every new Civilization release, some of the changes we introduce cause initial concern among our dedicated fanbase because they care deeply about the franchise," he explained.

"Over time, however, players come to recognize that these changes are genuine improvements. This leads to strong performance across a long sales cycle. I believe that pattern will repeat itself here.

"Undeniably, we faced some issues at launch. We've already made significant progress in addressing them and will continue to do so."

At launch, players pointed out issues with Civilization 7's user interface, a perceived lack of map variety, and a general sentiment that the game was missing several features long-time fans have come to expect from the series.

Zelnick's remark about dedicated Civilization players feeling apprehensive at launch likely refers to the significant gameplay changes Firaxis implemented in this installment.

A complete campaign in Civilization 7 spans three distinct eras: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. When an era concludes, all players and AI opponents simultaneously undergo an Age Transition. This transition involves three key steps: selecting a new civilization from the upcoming era to lead your empire, choosing which Legacies to carry forward, and witnessing the evolution of the game world. This multi-era system is a first for the franchise, and Zelnick is confident that fans will grow to appreciate it over time.

Take-Two has not yet released specific sales figures for Civilization 7. In its financial report, the company noted it is "exploring opportunities to grow the player base," which includes the recent launch of Civilization 7 VR for Meta Quest 3 and 3S, as well as the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 version.