Take-Two CEO Zelnick Praises Civ 7 as Civ 5, 6 Thrive on Steam

Civilization VII's Steam launch has proven challenging since its February release. Valve's platform shows the strategy sequel struggling to retain players, reflected in its 'Mixed' user review rating. Despite Firaxis' ongoing patches, Steam Charts reveal Civ VII currently attracts fewer players than both Civilization VI and the decade-and-a-half-old Civilization V.

Beyond the Steam Numbers

While available across PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms (with an enhanced Switch 2 version leveraging Joy-Con mouse controls coming soon), Civilization's core audience remains on PC - where Civ VII clearly faces hurdles.

Surprisingly, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick expressed satisfaction during pre-earnings discussions with IGN: "I'm thrilled with Civ VII's performance," Zelnick stated, while acknowledging the rocky start and ongoing optimization efforts.

Franchise Legacy & Long-Term Prospects

Zelnick emphasized Civilization's historical sales patterns: "Each release initially faces skepticism from our passionate fanbase regarding changes, before ultimately being recognized as improvements over extended sales cycles." The CEO confirmed continued development support while expressing confidence in Civ VII's ultimate success.

Community Concerns Addressed

Initial player critiques focused on UI/UX challenges, limited map diversity, and perceived missing features from previous franchise entries. The boldest changes involve Civilization VII's innovative Age Transition system - completely overhauling traditional progression by:

• Dynamically changing civilizations across three historical eras
• Preserving chosen Legacies between ages
• Synchronizing global transitions for all players/AI

Take-Two hasn't disclosed sales figures but mentioned audience expansion strategies including:

• The recent Meta Quest 3/3S VR version
• The imminent Nintendo Switch 2 port

Rank Every Civilization Game

Rank Every Civilization Game