Jake Solomon, director of Marvel’s Midnight Suns and the XCOM reboot by Firaxis, announced that he is moving away from turn-based strategy games and is founding a new studio.
Solomon, who left Firaxis in February 2023, told what will happen next, speaking on My Perfect Console (via VGC).
Solomon said that although he has not officially announced his new studio yet, it is in development. The studio will be based in Baltimore while remaining local to Firaxis, although Solomon is still in the process of registering his name and seeking funding.
As for what Solomon’s studio will be working on, the developer said that it will most likely “not be a turn-based strategy,” as he seeks to work on a game “that looks more like a life simulator or simulation… a stylish game.”
Clarifying, Solomon said that he “wasn’t thrilled about creating another turn-based strategy” after the launch of Marvel’s Midnight Suns 2022, which he directed.
“Not because this genre isn’t awesome— it’s where I’ve spent my life —but I felt like I had nothing more to say in this area,” Solomon added.
“So I started thinking, what would I do if I didn’t do it? If I didn’t do another turn-based strategy in Firaxis? And I started to worry,” said Solomon, who shared that after leaving Firaxis, he had the opportunity to “do a completely new business and take it on himself completely.”
Solomon’s departure was announced as part of a reshuffle at the studio, as a result of which chief operating officer Heather Hazen was appointed head of the studio.
“As the company was changing, it was my opportunity to think about maybe I should change something,” Solomon recalled.
As for other gaming news, Moss developer Polyarc is working on a competitive multiplayer shooter for virtual reality platforms.
