"Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick Excited About Civilization 7 Despite High Play Rates of Civ 6 and 5 on Steam"

Civilization 7 has faced a challenging start on Steam since its release in February, with reactions from users described as "mixed" based on Steam reviews. Despite several updates aimed at improving player satisfaction, the game currently boasts fewer players on Steam than both Civilization 6 and the 15-year-old Civilization 5. While the game also launched on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, with an enhanced version for the latter set to debut soon, its core audience resides on PC, where it is experiencing difficulties.

Despite these challenges, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick expressed optimism about Civilization 7 during an interview prior to the company’s latest earnings report. He acknowledged initial issues but praised Firaxis’ efforts to address them, expressing confidence in the game’s long-term success due to the franchise’s history of strong sales over time.

Zelnick noted that while some changes in Civ 7 caused initial unease among dedicated fans, history suggests that players eventually embrace these innovations. Early feedback highlighted concerns regarding the user interface, limited map variety, and missing features typically expected from the series. Key among these changes is a new system where players progress through three distinct Ages, experiencing transitions collectively rather than individually—a feature that aims to redefine the series' mechanics.

Take-Two has not disclosed sales figures for Civilization 7 but mentioned expanding the audience through initiatives like the recent VR version for Meta Quest 3 and 3S, along with the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 port.