Civilization VII launched earlier this year, and despite high hopes for the latest entry in one of the world's biggest strategy franchises, bugs and missing features meant it now sits at a Mixed review rating on Steam. But, there are hopes that Civ 7 can turn itself around.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick is one of the people who feel positively about the title. Speaking to IGN, he did admit to a "slow start," but doesn't think that Civilization VII is a disappointment compared to other entries in the series.
"I think the key thing is that Civ has always been a slow burn. It's always been a title that had — I'm not really a big believer in the long tail theory of the entertainment business — but Civ is an example of that theory. And right now our projections for the lifetime value of the title are very consistent with our initial expectations for the title," Zelnick said. "So while we were off to a slow start and while we have had to make changes — and there are more changes coming — I feel like consumer uptake is better and better and we feel really good about the title. I think over time it's going to take its place in its civilization pantheon in a very successful, credible way."
Civilization VI also got off to a bit of a slow start, but quickly turned perceptions around and remains one of the most-played strategy games today. We'll have to see if Civilization VII can offer a similar redemption story.