Strauss Zelnick Excited About Civilization 7 Despite High Playership of Civ 6 and 5 on Steam

Civilization 7's launch on Steam has been challenging, to say the least. Since its debut in February, the strategy game has seen fewer players on Valve's platform compared to its predecessors, Civilization 6 and even the 15-year-old Civilization 5. Steam user reviews have been 'mixed,' and despite multiple patches from developer Firaxis aimed at improving the game, Civilization 7 continues to struggle on PC, which is the franchise's core platform.

However, the game's performance on Steam is just one part of the story. Civilization 7 has also been released on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, with an upcoming version for the Nintendo Switch 2 that will utilize the new Joy-Con mouse controls. Despite these efforts, the game's primary market remains the PC, where it faces significant challenges.

In an interview with IGN ahead of Take-Two's latest financial results, CEO Strauss Zelnick expressed a surprising level of satisfaction with Civilization 7's performance. "I'm thrilled with Civ 7 so far," Zelnick stated. He acknowledged initial issues but praised Firaxis for their efforts in addressing these problems. Zelnick remains optimistic, believing that further improvements will lead to a successful title. He also highlighted the long sales cycle typical of the Civilization franchise, suggesting that Civ 7 will eventually follow the same path to success.

Zelnick noted that the franchise's history shows that initial changes often cause concern among fans, who are deeply invested in the series. "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," he explained, acknowledging the initial issues but emphasizing ongoing efforts to resolve them.

When Civilization 7 launched, players voiced concerns about the user interface, a lack of map variety, and missing features they had come to expect from the series. Zelnick's comments about the nervousness of hardcore Civ players likely refer to the significant changes introduced in the game. A notable new feature is the Age Transition system, where players progress through three Ages—Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern—selecting a new civilization and retaining certain Legacies at each transition. This is a departure from previous games in the series, and Zelnick believes it will grow on fans over time.

While Take-Two has not yet disclosed specific sales figures for Civilization 7, the company's financial report mentioned efforts to expand the game's 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.