Take-Two Boss Strauss Zelnick Says He's 'Thrilled' With Civilization 7 So Far Even Through More People Are Playing Civ 6 and Even Civ 5 on Steam

Civilization 7 has experienced a challenging launch on Steam, with the strategy game struggling to attract players since its February debut. The user reviews on Steam are mixed, and despite multiple patches from developer Firaxis aimed at improving the game, Civilization 7 has fewer players on Steam than its predecessors, Civilization 6 and the 15-year-old Civilization 5.

While the game's performance on Steam is a significant concern, it's worth noting that Civilization 7 also launched on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. A version for the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2, utilizing the new Joy-Con mouse controls, is on the horizon. Nonetheless, the PC platform remains the core market for the Civilization series, where the game is clearly underperforming.

In an interview with IGN before Take-Two's latest financial results, CEO Strauss Zelnick expressed his enthusiasm for Civilization 7, stating, "I'm thrilled with Civ 7 so far. However, there were some issues initially, and our team at Firaxis has done a great job addressing those issues. There's more work to be done. I'm optimistic that work will be done and will suit consumers, and ultimately that we have a very successful title on our hands."

Zelnick highlighted the long sales cycle typical of the Civilization franchise, suggesting that Civilization 7 will follow this trend. He noted, "The history of all the Civilization releases is that initially some of the changes that we make cause consternation among our consumers because they love the Civilization franchise so much. And then people realize, oh, this really is an improvement and over a long sales cycle, we do really well. I think that's what'll happen here too. But undoubtedly, we had some issues in the beginning, which we've addressed partially and continue to address."

At launch, players pointed out several issues with Civilization 7, including problems with the user interface, a lack of map variety, and the absence of expected franchise features. Zelnick's comments about the initial nervousness among hardcore Civ players likely refer to the significant changes Firaxis made, such as the new Age Transition system. In Civilization 7, a full campaign spans three Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. During an Age Transition, players select a new civilization, choose which Legacies to retain, and witness the game world evolve—a feature unique to this installment. Zelnick is confident that fans will grow to appreciate this innovation over time.

Take-Two has not disclosed specific sales figures for Civilization 7, but the company mentioned in its financial report that it is "pursuing opportunities to expand the audience." This includes the recent launch of Civilization 7 VR for Meta Quest 3 and 3S, as well as the upcoming port for the Nintendo Switch 2.