Jake Solomon, the director behind Marvel’s Midnight Suns and Firaxis‘ XCOM reboot, has revealed that he’s stepping away from turn-based strategy games and founding a new studio.
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Solomon, who left Firaxis in February 2023, revealed what’s next while speaking on My Perfect Console (via VGC).
Solomon revealed that while he is yet to officially announce his new studio, it is in the works. The studio will be based in Baltimore – remaining local to Firaxis – although Solomon is still in the process of registering its name and finding funding.
As for what Solomon’s studio will work on, the developer revealed that it likely “won’t be [a] turn-based strategy” game, as he is keen to work on a title “that’s more of a life simulator or a simulation-style game”.
Elaborating, Solomon revealed that he “wasn’t that excited about doing another turn-based strategy game” following the launch of 2022’s Marvel’s Midnight Suns, which he directed.
“Not because the genre isn’t amazing – it’s where I’ve spent my life – but I felt like I didn’t have anything more to say in that area,” added Solomon.
“So I started thinking, what would I do if I wasn’t making this? If I wasn’t making another turn-based strategy game at Firaxis? And I started to get excited,” said Solomon, who shared that by leaving Firaxis he had the opportunity to “do a whole new thing and be completely in charge of it”.
Solomon’s departure was announced as part of a reshuffle in the studio, which saw chief operating officer Heather Hazen promoted to studio head.
“As the company was changing, this was my opportunity to think about maybe I should make a change,” recalled Solomon.
In other gaming news, Moss developer Polyarc is working on a competitive multiplayer shooter for VR platforms.
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