Former XCOM director Jake Solomon makes a ‘next-gen’ slice of life.

Jake Solomon, former creative director and design lead for XCOM and Marvel’s Midnight Suns franchise, has teamed up with veteran developers behind games like Sid Meier’s Civilization, XCOM, and The Sims to launch Midsummer Studios and create a “next-gen entry” to the Life Sim genre.”

Solomon, who has worked at Firaxis for 23 years, is CEO and creative director of Midsummer Studios, and is joined by co-founder Will Miller, another former Firaxis developer who is taking on the role of game director for this untitled game. Miller has been part of Firaxis for 16 years and was the lead designer of Civilization: Beyond Earth and the lead engineer on Marvel’s Midnight Suns.

Nelsie Birch, who has over 25 years of experience in finance and operations management, serves as COO/CFO. Grant Ruddick, who spent 18 years at Maxis as a producer and director of a wide range of entries and expansions in The Sims, is also a member of the team.

Although we don’t know much about the game the team is developing, the concept is “a next-generation Life Sim that focuses on player-driven narratives, allowing communities to share memorable moments that grow from the creativity of the players themselves.”

To help achieve this goal, the studio has raised $6 million from major investors, including Transcend Fund, Tirta Ventures, Betaworks Ventures, 1Up Ventures, F4 Fund, Krafton, and Day Zero Productions.

“The best stories in games are the ones written by the players,” Solomon said. “In Midsummer, we’re creating a life simulation focused on the drama of modern life, where our players will write meaningful stories just by playing, and then share those stories with the world.”

Now that the seed investment has been secured, Midsummer Studios will focus on “sustainably growing their studio. The founders hope to support the health and happiness of their team members, by offering common equity in the company and unlimited paid time off.”

For more, check out IGN’s review of Marvel’s Midnight Suns Solomon talks about wanting to create a simulation game if he can get funding to do so in 2023.

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Adam Pankhurst is a staff writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @Adam Pankhurst and on Tik Tok.