Take-Two CEO Confident in Civilization 7's Long-Term Outlook

It has been six months since the challenging launch of Civilization 7, which currently has fewer concurrent players on Steam than both Civilization 6 and the 15-year-old Civilization 5. However, Take-Two's CEO indicates that over its full lifecycle, Civ 7 is still expected to meet the company's original internal projections.

Civilization 7's debut on Steam was rocky, and player numbers on Valve's platform have remained a struggle since its February release. Steam user reviews currently categorize it as 'Mixed.' Of course, Steam data doesn't tell the whole story, as the strategy title also launched on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch (with versions for the Nintendo Switch 2 and VR recently released). Yet, the PC has traditionally been Civilization's core platform, and there, Civ 7 is undoubtedly facing difficulties.

In an IGN interview discussing Take-Two's strong financial results for the latest quarter of 2025, CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged Civ 7's "slow start." He maintained, however, that the company's internal forecasts for the game's "lifetime value" still align with initial expectations.

"It's definitely improving," Zelnick stated regarding Civ 7 (Take-Two has not yet released specific sales figures).

"The key point is that Civilization has always been a slow burn—a title that exemplifies the 'long tail' theory in entertainment, which I'm not typically a big believer in, but Civ is the exception. Our current projections for the title's lifetime value are very consistent with what we initially anticipated.

"So, while we started slowly and have had to implement changes—with more updates on the way—I feel consumer engagement is steadily improving. We're confident about the title's future and believe it will ultimately earn its place as a successful and credible entry in the Civilization series."

Rank every Civilization Game

Rank every Civilization Game

     

At launch, players criticized Civ 7 for its user interface, limited map variety, and a perceived lack of features expected from the franchise. Additionally, some series veterans were unsettled by the significant gameplay changes introduced by developer Firaxis.

A complete Civilization 7 campaign spans three Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. Upon completing an Age, all players and AI opponents simultaneously undergo an Age Transition. This transition involves three key steps: selecting a new civilization from the upcoming Age to lead your empire, choosing which Legacies to carry forward, and witnessing the evolution of the game world.

This Age system is a first for the series and has sparked debate. Since launch, Firaxis has released several major updates, most recently Patch 1.2.3, which focused on improving the Age Transition experience.

The central question now is whether Firaxis can shift the prevailing 'Mixed' sentiment on Steam and convince more players to transition from older Civilization titles to this latest installment.

Our interview with Strauss Zelnick covers additional topics, including his perspective on controversial Borderlands developer Randy Pitchford and his response to recent reports concerning the troubled development of BioShock 4.