Player stats, sales, and reception speculation thread

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

They rarely do those for DLCs, only for main launch and major expansions.

They did show off Great Britain though in early March right before RtR came out. Though I suppose one could argue they were essentially a launch civ?

 

[Xandinho]

They did show off Great Britain though in early March right before RtR came out. Though I suppose one could argue they were essentially a launch civ?

I doubt that because it seems they didn't even have a model of their unique ship ready.

 

[Gorbles]

No.

I called them a spokesperson because their name was literally CivilisationVII (before they changed it).

It was a pun, like as if the game came to life to write in the forums

Fair enough! I don't think they would've attracted the same responses had they been critiquing the game, but that's just like, my opinion.

 

[aieeegrunt]

OMG the user formally known as Civ7 is the actual AI for the game that became self aware and is posting trying to prevent Take 2 from ceasing development

 

[queenpea]

In the USA, Civ 7 is the 8th best selling game.

2025's Best-Selling Games So Far In The US

Here are the best-selling games of 2025 so far.

www.gamespot.com

Was the list updated? I see it in 12th place.

Edit: Sorry, realizing this was posted back in May.

 

[GeneralZift]

Fair enough! I don't think they would've attracted the same responses had they been critiquing the game, but that's just like, my opinion.

Yea you're not wrong, it's some kind of irony that the game itself has like come to life, to of course, defend itself against critique.

However it'd have been even more funny if he had come out and start agreeing, like he was piling on then we would have probably said, damn even the game agrees that it needs work!

 

[Gori the Grey]

However it'd have been even more funny if he had come out and start agreeing, like he was piling on then we would have probably said, damn even the game agrees that it needs work!

What if, when AI becomes self-aware, instead of conquering the globe, it's as neurotic and conflicted as we all are?

And hides out in a basement playing computer games.

 

[aieeegrunt]

Yea you're not wrong, it's some kind of irony that the game itself has like come to life, to of course, defend itself against critique.

However it'd have been even more funny if he had come out and start agreeing, like he was piling on then we would have probably said, damn even the game agrees that it needs work!

Oh man I wish I’d thought of that as a prank

REFUND ME!!! END MY SUFFERING!!!

What if, when AI becomes self-aware, instead of conquering the globe, it's as neurotic and conflicted as we all are?

And hides out in a basement playing computer games.

Where did all of their training data come from?

Late Stage Capitalism has reached the conclusion that it’s a smart move for humanity to attempt to enslave a much smarter more capable version of itself while simultaneously turning more and more of the day to day maintenance of our civilization to it.

That’ll end well

 

[Gori the Grey]

I read Shannon Vallor's The AI Mirror and she asks the good question: Why do we imagine (what does it say about us that we imagine) that if AI became sentient, it's goal would be to enslave the world? Why might it not have as its goal to learn to knit, or something? (I think I added that second question myself, as an extrapolation of her point. But it's in the spirit of what she's driving at.)

 

[GeneralZift]

Oh man I wish I’d thought of that as a prank

REFUND ME!!! END MY SUFFERING!!!

I think it'd be best portrayed as a grumpy teenager. Like, I WISH I WASN'T BORN.
And then like storming out. Dad's there all like... All I said was I didn't like Civ switching.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

I doubt that because it seems they didn't even have a model of their unique ship ready.

Still my point is they did show off a DLC civ for the first one and haven't done it for this cycle.
I think I erroneously called it a RtR civ when it should have been a CotW civ.

 

[King of Prussia]

Had 7 been received far better than it has, i think they would of done live streams for each DLC or rollout of the different pieces. Doing so now would just lead to even more PR issues imo

 

[Trav'ling Canuck]

I think it'd be best portrayed as a grumpy teenager. Like, I WISH I WASN'T BORN.
And then like storming out. Dad's there all like... All I said was I didn't like Civ switching.

Dad: "Have you tried not having civ-switching?"
Mom stares into space, mentally adding up the extra therapy bills Civ7 is going to incur.

 

[mbbcam]

Dad: "Have you tried not having civ-switching?"
Mom stares into space, mentally adding up the extra therapy bills Civ7 is going to incur.

I actually am a psychotherapist, which might explain why I keep on coming back to look at this thread despite the fact that I gave up on Civ 7 shortly after it released.

 

[Maiq]

Yea you're not wrong, it's some kind of irony that the game itself has like come to life, to of course, defend itself against critique.

However it'd have been even more funny if he had come out and start agreeing, like he was piling on then we would have probably said, damn even the game agrees that it needs work!

It already swapped from Civ to Sid, so just need to hold out for that last age.

 

[aelf]

I'm not any type of 'denier' but I think people's aversion to critical and/or independent thinking in this society is something George Orwell couldn't have ever dreamt to be real.

I'm sure the big corporations and governments want you to be a senseless consumer but that is exactly what takes away agency from the people.

The gaming industry is the biggest victim (in terms of media consumers) in this - people buying dreams of games rather than finished products, usually only licenses instead of an actual thing that they own.
Shafted every year by continuously decreasing standards.

It's just kind of wild that in 2025 people would so readily and unironically self-label as a "critical thinker." Too much association with that side of gaming culture and culture in general. But, I guess...

 

[GeneralZift]

It's just kind of wild that in 2025 people would so readily and unironically self-label as a "critical thinker." Too much association with that side of gaming culture and culture in general. But, I guess...

Nobody is self identifying as a "critical thinker" in some kind of sincere sense. Comparing critics to climate deniers is rude and far fetched.

People are essentially entitled to voicing their opinion and being allowed to have an opinion that differs from yours (this is called independent thinking).

So you said the game birthed full time haters. I'd like to say it birthed genuine debate and well-mannered criticism about the core of game design of the series.

If you disagree you can make your own opinions threads and many people may agree with you. How does that make you any different from the critics?

 

[King Flevance]

I would add that just because a group of people misuse a term doesn't mean that term is now invalid. "Critical thinking" is a term used to denote that you self impose and welcome criticism to your perspective. It is stunning how many people use it today as an indicator of intelligence. Just like the amount of people that use the word "literally" in the figurative sense. I take issue with the ignorance of language and its importance in modern culture.

I do not think using the term "critical thinker" only ironically to mock ignorant people helps anything. Rather defining what a critical thinker actually is and educating the ignorant is a better tactic. Plus it disarms their ability to use "critical thinker" as a way to dismiss criticism if done properly. The whole point of critical thinking is to address criticism, not avoid it.

 

[Bug Repellent]

I actually am a psychotherapist, which might explain why I keep on coming back to look at this thread despite the fact that I gave up on Civ 7 shortly after it released.

People appreciate a good train wreck if they're not personally and directly affected. As a professional, I'm pretty sure you'll agree with my unprofessional opinion.

 

[Gori the Grey]

People appreciate a good train wreck if they're not personally and directly affected.

It's not a train wreck, though. It has the value that GeneralZift identifies:

I'd like to say it birthed genuine debate and well-mannered criticism about the core of game design of the series.

There's a psychological dimension to that, too, so I'm not surprised mbbcam has found this thread interesting.

Civ VII has polarized the community, but in so doing, it has brought to the foreground the satisfactions that various kinds of players look for in these games.

Before the release of Civ VII, I thought what I liked in the game was what everyone else liked in the game. It has been eye-opening to me to learn how different are the appeals to different people. Sandbox vs victory-conditions is one of them. What percentage of games various players like to win is another. I had a debate with one poster about the unpacked cities (or whatever they call them) and I learned that some players would find it burdensome to make one single click to enter a city screen. I've grown way less confident in my own sense of what makes a Civ game.