Seems pretty clear to me: “We’re also releasing Civilization VII for MacOS and Linux / SteamOS” doesn’t just not mention Proton, there also isn’t a Proton on MacOS Steam. And you don’t get Linux and Mac system sepcs and platform icons on Windows-only games on Steam whether or not you can run them with Proton; you get ”Steam Deck Verified”.

(I’m half expecting them to walk that back later but for now the message seems clear.)

proton

Is that even an option on the Mac? And “Proton games” wouldn’t show the Mac and SteamOS platform icon on the Steam store.

We’re also releasing Civilization VII for MacOS and Linux / SteamOS. However, we don’t have specs to share for those platforms at this time.

Source: https://x.com/CivGame/status/1841885325528043648

Now whether all this is just a mix-up in this age of “Linux ports aren’t worth it and they always suck anyway”… maybe.