Civilization 7's Steam debut has been underwhelming—there's no denying that. Since its February release, the strategy sequel has faced dwindling player numbers on Valve's platform. Steam reviews currently reflect a "mixed" reception. Despite Firaxis' ongoing patches to improve player sentiment, Civ 7 finds itself in a surprising position: attracting fewer Steam players than both Civilization 6 and the decade-and-a-half-old Civilization 5.
Of course, Steam metrics don't tell the whole story. The game launched simultaneously on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch (with a Switch 2 version leveraging new Joy-Con mouse controls coming soon). Yet PC remains Civilization's core platform—and that's where Civ 7's struggles are most apparent.
Given these challenges, one might expect disappointment from Take-Two, Firaxis' parent company. Yet during a pre-earnings interview with IGN, CEO Strauss Zelnick expressed enthusiasm about Civ 7's performance.
"Frankly, I'm delighted with Civ 7's progress," Zelnick shared. "While we encountered early hurdles, Firaxis has responded swiftly through updates. More refinements are coming—I'm confident we'll deliver an experience that resonates with players and establishes this as another successful entry in the franchise."
The CEO highlighted Civilization's unique extended sales trajectory compared to most game franchises, predicting Civ 7 will follow this historical pattern.
"Every Civilization release follows a similar arc," he observed. "Passionate fans initially react cautiously to evolutionary changes, then gradually recognize the improvements. This leads to strong long-term performance—I anticipate the same for Civ 7."
"That said, we absolutely faced launch challenges. We've made significant fixes already, with more optimizations underway."
Rank every Civilization Game
Rank every Civilization Game
At launch, players criticized Civ 7's UI design, limited map selection, and perceived absence of expected franchise features. Zelnick's comments about fans' initial hesitations clearly reference Firaxis' bold gameplay innovations.
Civ 7 introduces a revolutionary three-Age system (Antiquity, Exploration, Modern) where all players simultaneously transition between eras. These transitions involve choosing new civilizations, retaining legacy bonuses, and witnessing world evolution—a complete departure from previous series mechanics. Zelnick remains confident players will embrace this new direction over time.
While Take-Two hasn't disclosed specific sales figures, the company noted plans to broaden Civ 7's reach through recent Meta Quest 3/3S VR support and the forthcoming Nintendo Switch 2 version.
