Zelnick Optimistic for Civ 7 Amid Strong Steam Performance

Civilization 7 faced a rocky start on Steam—a fact that's evident from its performance. Since its February release, the strategy sequel has struggled to attract players on Valve's platform. Steam user reviews currently show "mixed" reactions. Despite Firaxis releasing multiple patches to improve player sentiment, Civ 7 now finds itself in an unfortunate position with lower concurrent Steam players than both Civilization 6 and the decade-and-a-half-old Civilization 5.

Of course, Steam numbers don't tell the whole story. The game also launched on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch (with a Switch 2 version leveraging new Joy-Con mouse controls arriving soon). But PC remains Civilization's core platform, and Civ 7's performance there raises concerns.

Given these challenges, one might expect disappointment from Take-Two Interactive, Firaxis' parent company. Yet during a pre-earnings interview with IGN, CEO Strauss Zelnick expressed enthusiasm about Civ 7's trajectory.

"We're thrilled with Civilization 7's progress," Zelnick said. "While initial launch issues required attention, our Firaxis team responded effectively. There's still work ahead, but I'm confident we'll deliver an experience that satisfies players and achieves commercial success."

The CEO highlighted the franchise's history of extended sales cycles compared to conventional game releases, predicting Civ 7 will follow this pattern.

"Every Civilization release initially sparks some player apprehension—that's how passionate our community is," he explained. "But historically, players recognize the series' evolution, leading to strong long-term performance. I anticipate this will hold true again."

"That said, we absolutely encountered early challenges we're progressively addressing through updates."

At launch, players critiqued Civ 7's UI design, limited map selection, and perceived missing franchise staples—issues Zelnick acknowledged when referencing veterans' initial hesitation.

This apprehension likely stems from Firaxis' boldest series reinvention yet. Civ 7 introduces a three-age structure (Antiquity, Exploration, Modern) where all players simultaneously transition between eras—an unprecedented mechanic for the franchise. These transitions involve choosing new civilizations, retaining legacy bonuses, and witnessing world evolution.

While Take-Two hasn't disclosed specific sales figures, its earnings report mentioned audience expansion efforts, including Civ 7's recent Meta Quest 3/3S VR release and the upcoming Switch 2 version.