Take-Two CEO bullish on Civ 7 as Civ 6, 5 soar on Steam

Civilization 7 has experienced a challenging debut on Steam – that much is evident. The strategy sequel has faced player retention issues on Valve's platform since its February release. Current Steam reviews reflect a 'mixed' reception. Despite multiple patches from developer Firaxis attempting to improve player sentiment, Civ 7 finds itself in an awkward position with fewer concurrent players than both Civilization 6 and even the decade-and-a-half-old Civilization 5.

While Steam numbers don't tell the complete story – the game also launched on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch (with an upcoming Switch 2 version featuring enhanced Joy-Con mouse controls) – PC has always been Civilization's core platform. And on that front, Civ 7 is clearly facing an uphill battle.

Take-Two CEO Expresses Confidence Despite Rocky Start

Given these challenges, one might expect frustration from Firaxis' parent company Take-Two. But in a surprising turn, CEO Strauss Zelnick told IGN he remains "thrilled" with Civ 7's performance during a pre-earnings interview.

"I'm thrilled with Civ 7's potential," Zelnick explained. "While we encountered some initial hurdles, our Firaxis team has been exemplary in addressing concerns. There's still work ahead, but I'm confident we'll deliver an experience that satisfies our players and ultimately achieves commercial success."

Zelnick pointed to the franchise's history of long-tail sales cycles – markedly different from most game releases – expressing optimism that Civ 7 will follow this established pattern.

"Every Civilization release follows a similar pattern," he noted. "Our passionate community initially reacts cautiously to changes before embracing improvements. Over time, these entries consistently demonstrate their staying power. I anticipate we'll see this pattern repeat itself."

"Naturally, we've faced challenges at launch that we've partially addressed and continue to improve upon," Zelnick concluded.

What's Behind the Player Concerns?

At launch, players raised concerns about Civilization 7's user interface design, limited map variety, and what many felt was missing content compared to previous franchise entries.

Zelnick's comments about "hardcore Civ players being nervous" likely reference Firaxis' bold gameplay changes. The new Age Transition system represents the most dramatic departure in series history – players progress through three distinct eras (Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern), each requiring civilization reboots while carrying forward select Legacies.

While Take-Two hasn't shared specific sales figures yet, their financial report hints at expansion plans including the recently launched Civilization 7 VR for Meta Quest headsets and the forthcoming Nintendo Switch 2 version.