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

The launch of *Civilization 7* on Steam has been anything but smooth. Since its debut in February, the strategy sequel has struggled to attract players on Valve's platform, with Steam user reviews reflecting a 'mixed' sentiment. Despite several patches released by developer Firaxis aimed at improving the game, *Civilization 7* finds itself in the challenging position of having fewer players than both *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. An upcoming version for the Nintendo Switch 2, featuring new Joy-Con mouse controls, is set to release soon. However, the core audience for the Civilization series has always been on PC, and it's here that *Civ 7* is visibly struggling.

One might expect that Take-Two, the parent company of Firaxis, would be displeased with this situation. However, in an interview with IGN ahead of the company's latest financial results, CEO Strauss Zelnick expressed that he was "thrilled" with *Civ 7* so far. He acknowledged initial issues but praised the efforts of the Firaxis team in addressing them, expressing optimism about the game's future.

"I'm thrilled with *Civ 7* so far," Zelnick stated. "However, there were some issues initially, and our team at Firaxis has done a great job addressing those issues. 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 likely follow a similar path. He noted that initial changes often cause concern among fans but that over time, these changes are appreciated and lead 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 said. "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. But undoubtedly, we had some issues in the beginning, which we've addressed partially and continue to address."

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Upon the launch of *Civ 7*, players pointed out issues with the user interface, a lack of map variety, and a feeling that the game was released without several expected franchise features. Zelnick's comments about the initial nervousness of hardcore Civ players likely refer to the significant changes Firaxis made to the game.

In *Civilization 7*, a full campaign spans all three Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. An Age Transition occurs simultaneously for all players and AI opponents, during which players select a new civilization from the new Age, choose which Legacies to retain, and witness the evolution of the game world. This system is unprecedented in the Civilization series, and Zelnick believes that fans will grow to appreciate it over time.

Take-Two has not yet disclosed sales figures for *Civilization 7*, but in its financial report, the company mentioned efforts to expand the game's audience. This includes the recent launch of *Civilization 7 VR* for Meta Quest 3 and 3S, as well as the upcoming port for the Nintendo Switch 2.