Best Civ 7 Leaders

In an interview with IGN ahead of the release of third quarter financial results, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged that Civilization 7 has received mixed feedback from both critics and players, referencing Eurogamer’s 2/5 score, but emphasized that longtime fans of the series will likely grow to appreciate the game with more playtime. He described the game’s early reception as “very encouraging.”

“The Metacritic score stands at 81, which is strong,” Zelnick said. “We’ve received over 20 press reviews scoring above 90. There are a few negative outliers, including a 40 from Eurogamer.

“We believe that as players spend more time with the game, sentiment will improve. Every new entry in the Civilization series pushes the boundaries, and our core fanbase often feels uneasy at first. But then they realize just how impressive the game truly is, and they become deeply engaged.

“So we’re very confident in the game’s direction. We know there are areas that need refinement—especially the user interface, which we’re actively addressing. While the early access release isn’t flawless, we’re encouraged by the overall response, and we’re fully committed to improving the experience. The concerns we’ve heard are ones we’re already working on, and we’re paying close attention to player feedback.”

Zelnick is confident that Civilization fans will come to embrace Civilization 7. Photographer: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images.Zelnick’s reference to long-time fans feeling uneasy at launch likely points to the significant changes Firaxis has introduced.

Civilization 7 features a full campaign structured across three distinct Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. At the end of each Age, all players—along with AI opponents—undergo a synchronized Age Transition. During this transition, players choose a new civilization to represent their empire in the next Age, decide which Legacies to carry forward, and witness the world evolve. This system is entirely new to the Civilization series. Clearly, Zelnick believes that once players experience it, they’ll come to appreciate its depth and innovation.

In the short term, Firaxis still has work to do in shifting player sentiment, especially on Steam. A game’s user review rating on Steam is critical for its success on the platform. Beyond reflecting player satisfaction, it directly influences visibility and discoverability within Steam’s ecosystem.