XCOM and Midnight Suns game designer Jake Solomon leaves Firaxis

Jake Solomon, creative director and chief designer for XCOM’s games. Marvel’s Midnight SunsAfter 23 years with Firaxis, she is leaving the developer.

Announcement of the move on TwitterSolomon said that he would be pursuing a different genre wherever he goes next. “I loved designing tactical turn-based games, but it’s time for other, smarter people to push that space forward,” he said. “My brain is on fire with a new dream. Time to go chase it.”

Alongside Solomon’s exit, publisher 2K Games announced a change of leadership at Firaxis. Steve Martin, the studio’s head of operations, is retiring after more than 25-years. Heather Hazen will take his place as chief operating officer.

Hazen took the opportunity to announce that the next game in Firaxis’ flagship series, Sid Meier’s Civilization, is in development. This is the first confirmation that what will likely be called “title” has been made public. Civilization 7, the news hardly comes as a surprise, and Hazen’s announcement is presumably intended to calm everyone’s nerves after the departure of two studio veterans.

In his statement, Solomon said, “I fulfilled two lifelong dreams in making XCOM (and XCOM 2Please see the following: War of the Chosen() Marvel’s Midnight Suns. I’m the luckiest kid who ever lived. X-COM was my favourite game growing up; it’s why I’m a game developer. Marvel comics made me a dreamer, and those characters feel like my extended family.”

Solomon expressed gratitude to fellow Firaxis developers and his mentor Sid Meier, who was the iconic designer and founder of Civilization. “I’m grateful to Sid first and foremost for teaching me. If I’m ever half as good as him I’ll be twice as good as I am now.”

Solomon’s critically-acclaimed 2012 book is widely credited for reviving tactical gaming. reboot, XCOM: The Enemy Unknown. Since that game’s release, he has become something of a figurehead at Firaxis: a brilliant and thoughtful designer, known for his eloquence and enthusiasm in interviews. However, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, despite positive reviews, did not perform as well commercially as 2K’s parent company Take-Two had hoped.

It will be thrilling to see Solomon use his talent next.