"Take-Two CEO Excited About Civilization 7 Despite High Play Rates of Civ 6 and 5 on Steam"

The launch of *Civilization 7* on Steam has been rocky, to say the least. Since its debut in February, the strategy game has struggled to attract players on Valve's platform, garnering a 'mixed' reaction from Steam users. Despite multiple patches from developer Firaxis aimed at improving the game, *Civilization 7* finds itself with fewer players than its predecessors, *Civilization 6* and the 15-year-old *Civilization 5*.

While the performance on Steam is concerning, it's important to note that *Civilization 7* also launched on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, with a forthcoming version for the Nintendo Switch 2 utilizing the new Joy-Con mouse controls. However, given that the PC platform is the core market for the *Civilization* series, the game's struggles there are particularly notable.

Despite the challenges, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick expressed optimism in an interview with IGN ahead of the company's latest financial results. "I'm thrilled with *Civ 7* so far," Zelnick stated, acknowledging initial issues that Firaxis has been addressing. "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 *Civilization* franchise's history of long sales cycles, suggesting that *Civ 7* would follow this trend. He noted that initial changes often cause unease among fans due to their deep affection for the series, but over time, these changes are generally appreciated, leading to strong sales. "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. "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."

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Upon its launch, *Civilization 7* faced criticism 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 significant changes, such as the introduction of an Age system. A full campaign in *Civilization 7* spans three Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. During an Age Transition, players select a new civilization, choose Legacies to retain, and witness the game world evolve. This novel system, never before seen in the *Civilization* series, is something Zelnick believes will eventually be embraced by fans.

Take-Two has not disclosed specific sales figures for *Civilization 7*, but the company is actively seeking to expand the game's audience. This includes the recent release of *Civilization 7 VR* for Meta Quest 3 and 3S, and the upcoming port for the Nintendo Switch 2.