Zelnick Excited About Civilization 7 Despite High Play Rates of Civ 6 and 5 on Steam

Civilization 7 has encountered a challenging launch on Steam, evident from its struggle to attract players since its debut in February. The game has received mixed reviews from Steam users, and despite several patches released by developer Firaxis to improve the situation, Civilization 7 currently has fewer players on Steam than both Civilization 6 and the 15-year-old Civilization 5.

While the game's performance on Steam paints a grim picture, it's important to note that Civilization 7 also launched on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. A Nintendo Switch 2 version, which will utilize the new Joy-Con mouse controls, is set to be released soon. However, the franchise's core audience remains on PC, where Civilization 7 is clearly underperforming.

Despite the rocky start, Take-Two's CEO, Strauss Zelnick, expressed optimism during an interview with IGN ahead of the company's latest financial results. Zelnick stated, "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 a similar pattern. He acknowledged that initial changes often cause concern among dedicated fans due to their deep affection for the series. "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 said. "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."

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At launch, players criticized Civilization 7 for issues with the user interface, a lack of map variety, and the absence of expected features. Zelnick's comments about the nervousness of hardcore Civ players likely refer to the significant changes Firaxis introduced, 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 from the new Age, choose which Legacies to retain, and witness the evolution of the game world. This innovative system is unprecedented in the series, and Zelnick is confident that fans will eventually embrace it.

Take-Two has not disclosed specific sales figures for Civilization 7, but the company's financial report indicated 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 Nintendo Switch 2 port.