"Civilization 7": Take-Two hopes to catch up after a weak launch

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has confirmed in an interview with IGN that “Civilization 7” had a “slow market launch”. The US publisher has not yet published any sales figures for the strategy game. However, figures from the unofficial Steam analysis tool SteamDB suggest a rather unsuccessful launch.

On SteamDB, you can look up how many people are currently playing a game on Steam. The tool also shows player highlights. This gives a rough indication of the current popularity of a game. “Civilization 7” was played by a maximum of 7,700 players simultaneously in the last 24 hours – significantly less than its two predecessors. “Civ 6” has a 24-hour peak of 42,000, and even “Civ 5” has more than twice as many players as “Civ 7” at 16,000.

“Civ has always been a 'slow burn'”

The current player numbers do not necessarily indicate sales figures, but there is probably still a certain correlation. Alarming player numbers, moreover, because the sale of additional packs and expansions is also part of the "Civilization" business model. Without the corresponding player base, Take-Two studio Firaxis will not be able to sell many DLCs.

Despite the weak figures, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick believes that "Civilization 7" is still on track. “Civ has always been a 'slow burn',” Zelnick told the games magazine. “Currently, our projections for the lifetime value of the title are very much in line with our original expectations for the title.”

The game is constantly improving, Zelnick told IGN. “Although we had a slow start and had to make changes – and more changes are coming – I feel like consumer acceptance is getting better and better.” Take-Two therefore has a good feeling about “Civilization 7.”

Only 47 percent recommend “Civ 7”

The latest part of the “Civilization” series was launched in February to mediocre reviews. In addition to the interface, the age system of “Civ 7” was frequently criticized: A game run no longer consists of an uninterrupted flow of play with one and the same faction. Instead, ages divide a “Civ 7” playthrough into three chapters: the Ancient Age, the Age of Exploration, and the Modern Age. Among other things, players select a new civilization when transitioning to a new age.

Users are much more critical of “Civilization 7”: On Steam, only 47 percent recommend the title, a devastating figure for a large-scale production. Currently, “Civ 7” is discounted by 30 percent to 49 euros on Steam. Meanwhile, “Civilization 6” is available for 6 euros, and “Civilization 5” costs 7.50 euros.

(dahe)