Strauss Zelnick 'Thrilled' with Civilization 7 Despite High Playership of Civ 6 and 5 on Steam

The launch of Civilization 7 on Steam has been challenging, with the strategy game facing a rough start since its release in February. The game has received a 'mixed' reaction from Steam users, and despite several patches from developer Firaxis aimed at improving the sentiment, Civilization 7 has fewer players on Steam than both Civilization 6 and the 15-year-old Civilization 5.

While the performance on Steam is a significant indicator, it's worth noting that Civilization 7 also launched on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. An upcoming version for the Nintendo Switch 2, utilizing new Joy-Con mouse controls, is set to release soon. However, the franchise's core audience remains on PC, where Civilization 7 is clearly struggling to gain traction.

Despite the challenges, Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two, the parent company of Firaxis, expressed optimism in an interview with IGN. "I'm thrilled with Civ 7 so far," Zelnick stated, acknowledging initial issues but praising the efforts of the Firaxis team in addressing them. He remains confident that ongoing improvements will lead to a successful title.

Zelnick highlighted the long sales cycle typical of the Civilization franchise, suggesting that Civilization 7 will follow a similar path. "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," he explained. He believes that over time, players will come to appreciate the improvements and the game will perform well.

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 nervousness of hardcore Civ players likely refer to the significant changes introduced in Civilization 7, such as the new Age Transition system. This system involves progressing through three Ages—Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern—and selecting a new civilization and Legacies during each transition, a feature unique to Civilization 7.

Although Take-Two has not disclosed specific sales figures for Civilization 7, the company's financial report mentioned efforts to expand the game's audience. These initiatives include the launch of Civilization 7 VR for Meta Quest 3 and 3S, and the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 port.