Civilization 7 has a "slow start", but Take-Two remains optimistic.

Half a year after the problematic launch of Civilization 7, the game has fewer active players on Steam than Civilization 6 and the veteran Civilization 5, which is 15 years old. However, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick stated that the company still projects the title to meet its internal expectations for "lifetime value", even with the "slow start".

The performance of Civilization 7 on Steam has been marked by "mixed" user reviews and a low number of players. Although the game was also released on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, the franchise's main base has always been the PC, where the title is visibly struggling.

In an interview with IGN, Zelnick acknowledged the "slow start" of the game but insisted that the company's internal projections for the "lifetime value" of Civilization 7 remain "very consistent" with initial expectations. He stated that "consumer acceptance is improving and we feel very good about the title."

"I think the key point is that Civ has always been a slow burn," said Zelnick. "It's always been a title that has – I'm not a big believer in the long tail theory of the entertainment business – but Civ is an example of that theory."

The launch of Civilization 7 was criticized for its user interface, lack of map variety, and absence of expected franchise features. Drastic gameplay changes, such as transitioning between the Ancient, Exploration, and Modern ages, also divided fans. At each transition, players and the AI choose a new civilization and the characteristics of their empire are altered, something unprecedented in the series.

Developer Firaxis has been working to address the issues, releasing updates like patch 1.2.3, which brought improvements to age transitions. The question now is whether Firaxis will be able to reverse the negative sentiment and convince players of Civilization 5 and 6 to migrate to the new title.

Take-Two remains optimistic about the long-term success of Civilization 7. Do you think the game's poor initial performance can be overcome with updates and community support, or has Firaxis made mistakes that cannot be reversed?