SemiLazyGamer
Prince
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2021
- Messages
- 494
Circana June 2025: Civ VII was the 12th best selling game all year in Dollar sales in the US, dropping from 10th in May
Maneater is niche like 4X. Its for those rare people who enjoyed Jaws Unleashed that it takes its inspiration from.But that 3100 figure assumed all Civ VII units sold were DLC at $30 too. I'm not overly familiar with Maneater or it's fan following, its a game from 2021, so it feels unlikely it has a high base sale rate outside sales, but certainly some will have come before the latest price drop, but not enough to explain the magnitude of difference if those 3000 odd Civ sales were full price base game units.
I think ChatGPT overestimates physical sales by assuming it is on par with digital sales.Just for fun, made ChatGPT estimate the amount of console sales (didn't include Epic Games for simplicity). ChatGPT estimated baseline sales for consoles to be more than 1M. See attached
Just for fun, made ChatGPT estimate the amount of console sales (didn't include Epic Games for simplicity). ChatGPT estimated baseline sales for consoles to be more than 1M. See attached
The sources ChatGPT use are mostly referring to physical sales, it's mentioned in the report. If instead of 50% physical sales, we have 25%, the result would be almost twice the number we got in this report (almost, because some sources are still about digital).I think ChatGPT overestimates physical sales by assuming it is on par with digital sales.
"Across Europe, 75% of 'new games' (games released this year) have been sold as digital downloads (25% via physical retailers). That is a 12 percentage point shift over this time last year, when just 63% of games were sold via the likes of PSN, Xbox Live, Steam and eShop."
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How digital is the video games market in 2024?
The vast majority of the games industry is digital. This has been the case for quite some time.www.gamesindustry.biz
Switch 2 estimation is pure hallucination based on no evidence:
"~5–10% of those owners bought Civ VII – on the order of 0.2–0.35M units."
&&
"A user upgrading from Switch to Switch 2 is counted as one sale (not double-counted)."
Apart from those, it is probably true that PS5 is the dominant platform for console players.
I admire your skill of ignoring information you don't like. I could provide the list of prompts I used. The only comments I made were:I hate to be this blunt about it but I don't think anyone cares what an AI prompt you wrote estimates
I think you didnt get it. If 25% of games sold were physical copies in 2024 (and it is even less now) you can halve estimations. And that is very inaccurate because some platforms are more digital than others. About 10% on the PC, 20% on the XBox. On the PS5, more games are sold as physical copies.The sources ChatGPT use are mostly referring to physical sales, it's mentioned in the report. If instead of 50% physical sales, we have 25%, the result would be almost twice the number we got in this report (almost, because some sources are still about digital).
The sources ChatGPT use are mostly referring to physical sales, it's mentioned in the report. If instead of 50% physical sales, we have 25%, the result would be almost twice the number we got in this report (almost, because some sources are still about digital).
I admire your skill of ignoring information you don't like. I could provide the list of prompts I used. The only comments I made were:
- Don't use Civ6 as basis, since it didn't have console version on release
- Only count base game sales, so if someone bought Switch 1 version and upgraded it to Switch 2, count it as 1 unit
It's the other way around. See, ChatGPT found many sources on physical sales and made some estimations. When it doubled the number, assuming 50/50 split. If we assume physical is 25%, instead of double we should quadruple it.I think you didnt get it. If 25% of games sold were physical copies in 2024 (and it is even less now) you can halve estimations. And that is very inaccurate because some platforms are more digital than others. About 10% on the PC, 20% on the XBox. On the PS5, more games are sold as physical copies.
(I refer to this: "Charts cited are mostly physical; we assume a roughly 50/50 split globally.")
Sigh. Civ6 has 0 sales on consoles in the first half a year, because it wasn't released on them. Using Civ6 proportion to estimate Civ7 sales would mean "multiply by zero".Why wouldn't we use Civ VI as a basis? Not releasing on consoles is completely irrelevant to the fact that it sold 2 million in just a few weeks objectively
It's the other way around. See, ChatGPT found many sources on physical sales and made some estimations
Sigh. Civ6 has 0 sales on consoles in the first half a year, because it wasn't released on them. Using Civ6 proportion to estimate Civ7 sales would mean "multiply by zero".
We don't know. For civ VI, is was apparently the Switch which went beyond all expectations. And for 7, the physical copies on switch outsold all other platforms, including PC. But this might simply be due to Switch being the last relevant market for physical sales. I'm not saying that 7 sold great on Switch 1 with the extra limitations, nor that the Switch 2 version has sold an incredible amount – I just think that long term, the platform impotence for a game like civ will be:Apart from those, it is probably true that PS5 is the dominant platform for console players.
We don't know. For civ VI, is was apparently the Switch which went beyond all expectations. And for 7, the physical copies on switch outsold all other platforms, including PC.
I don't own civ 7 on my Switch 2, and I don't plan to buy it there. But if the console can handle the game's graphics and turn times well enough, it's probably on par (due to its good mouse-like controller) or superior (due to touch screen and handheld) to playing it on a PC. I would be surprised if the other consoles can keep up with that.
I couldn’t get a true Civ 7 physical copy even if I wanted to. My PC doesn’t have a disc drive, and it is increasingly rare to find non-custom PCs sold with disc drives. “Physical copies” for PC now are typically just a box with a code in it, which doesn’t provide much reason to purchase the game that way unless you see the box as a collector’s item.What makes you come to this conclusion? Again the ONLY data we have on physical copies sold (that I'm aware of) is that the game topped the UK physical charts for a week or so on its launch, that PS5 accounted for most of those physical sales, and Switch physical outsold PC/Xbox. Data which is almost entirely useless by itself because most people do not buy physical anymore anyway
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PS5 accounts for 47% of physical Civilization 7 sales, which is more than PC and Xbox combined in its debut week, based on the UK Software Sales Chart
TBF I bet playing games on consoles is hell. FTFYicon-era.com
Switch 1 version couldn't handle maps larger than small and we have player limits because devolopment for the switch, that's without touching upon lack of mod support.. I sincerly doubt even with the improved performance that Switch 2 would ever be superior to PC or Steamdeck.
Also you know you can buy a mouse and keyboard for Playstation and Xbox too right? They both support it
I thought I'd give it a go to
My prompt:
How many sales of civilization vii have been console sales?
Response from chatgpt:
Righto! Let’s take a proper look at what we know — in a refined English accent, naturally:
---
###Civilization VII Console Sales Estimate
**Overall sales**: Take‑Two (publisher of Civilization VII) reported *roughly 3 million units sold across all platforms* in its first quarter after release ([CivFanatics Forums][1]).
**PC segment (Steam only)**: In the same period, it’s estimated that around *1 million copies* were sold *via Steam*, implying the remaining *\~2 million units* were likely console and other platform sales ([CivFanatics Forums][1]).
**Thus, approximately** **65–70%** of Civilization VII sales appear to have come from **console and other non‑Steam platforms** within that initial window.
---
###Snapshot: UK Physical Chart Splits at Launch Week
During the UK retail debut, **physical sales** of Civ VII were broken down roughly as:
* **PS5** accounted for **47%**
* **Switch** 27%
* **Xbox** 10%
* **PC (physical)** just 17% ([Nintendo Life][2])
That yields **84% console (PS5, Switch, Xbox)** vs **16% PC** in *physical format*.
---
###What This Tells Us
* In the UK physical charts, console versions dominated sales from the outset.
* Globally, using the broader Q1 sales estimate, it seems **majority of units sold (\~2 million of \~3 million)** were on console and non‑Steam platforms.
* Fine print: The **Steam figure** likely undercounts *all PC sales* (e.g. Epic Games Store, Mac, Linux, etc.), and digital sales on consoles may not be captured in physical‑only breakdowns.
---
### Summary Table
| Platform | Estimated Share of Initial Sales |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| Steam (PC) | \~1 million (≈ 33%) |
| Console + other platforms | \~2 million (≈ 67%) |
**Approximate inference**: **65–70% of Civilization VII sales so far appear to be from consoles (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch)**.
---
Let me know if you’d like breakdowns by specific console (e.g. how the Switch compares to PS5, Xbox), or data on digital sources beyond Steam!
[1]: https://forums.civfanatics.com/thre...thread.697557/page-109?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Player stats, sales, and reception speculation thread | Page 109 | CivFanatics Forums"
[2]: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2...n-outsells-pc-and-xbox?utm_source=chatgpt.com "UK Charts: Civilization VII Starts Strong, Switch Version Outsells PC And Xbox | Nintendo Life"
It's all feeling a bit self referential at this point. Chatgpt is looking at this thread to answer the questions that were asking in this thread.
Yes and there are ways to improve the results, like separating by steps. What I did:That’s why you have to be incrediy careful using AI to do your analysis for you