Civilization VII team at Firaxis Games faces layoffs

"However, it's important to note that neither of those metrics gives as complete a picture as some Internet discussions suggest they do; Civilization VII launched on other platforms and game stores like the PlayStation 5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Epic Game Store, and those wouldn't be captured in Steam numbers-even though it intuitively seems likely that Steam would account for the significant majority of players for this particular franchise. Twitch viewership is also not necessarily representative of sales or the number of players."

"There have been numerous other examples of studios and publishers laying off staff from teams that worked on both successful and unsuccessful releases as the industry continues to roll back pandemic-era over-hiring and respond to inflation, rising borrowing costs, global economic instability, trade uncertainty, ballooning development costs, and efficiency pressures."

Steam and Twitch metrics do not fully capture Civilization VII's player base because the game also launched on PlayStation 5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and the Epic Game Store. Steam likely contains a large share of franchise players, but non‑Steam storefronts and platforms affect total counts. Twitch viewership does not reliably indicate sales or player numbers. The publisher described the launch as a "slow start," asserted that "Civ has always been a slow burn," and maintained that projections for the "lifetime value of the title" align with initial expectations. Industry layoffs have affected teams from both successful and unsuccessful projects amid cost-cutting and economic pressures.

Read at Ars Technica