Firaxis Games has announced some recent shifts at the company as it names a new Studio Head and confirms the next Civilization game is in the works.
The company behind some of the most iconic strategy games, including Civilization and XCOM, announced some changes are coming this morning. Namely, Steve Martin, who’s been with the company for over 25 years has left his role as Studio Head at Firaxis. Previous COO, Heather Hazen, has been promoted to take his place:
“We are excited to welcome Heather Hazen as the new Studio Head of Firaxis Games, and believe she will continue to drive the success Firaxis has consistently delivered as part of 2K’s independent studio model,” said David Ismailer, President of 2K. “2K and Firaxis Games are deeply grateful for the foundation that Steve Martin set during his time at the studio, shepherding more than 30 game launches across three genre-defining franchises, and for ensuring a smooth transition for Heather into her new role. Firaxis is one of our company and industry’s most renowned studios, and we are confident that the team will continue to do great things under her leadership.”
On top of that, Jake Solomon, the creative director behind the XCOM franchise (and more recently Marvel’s Midnight Suns) has also announced his departure from the studio.
“I’m embarking on a new chapter; however, I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to fulfill my dreams at Firaxis Games,” said Solomon. “I’m thankful to everyone who enjoyed XCOM and Marvel’s Midnight Suns, and to my development and publishing partners who helped bring those games to life.”
Considering how much I love the new XCOM games, I’m pretty bummed about this one, but eager to see what he does next. It’s not all sad news, however, as the company has also revealed that development on Civilization VII is already underway, with Ed Beach continuing on as the Creative Director. New Studio Head, Hazen, had this to say:
“I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to carry on the studio’s storied legacy, beginning with the announcement that Firaxis is in development on the next iteration of the legendary Civilization franchise. I’m lucky to be working with some of the best developers in our industry, and we have plans to take the Civilization franchise to exciting new heights for our millions of players around the world. In addition, we will continue to support Marvel’s Midnight Suns with post-launch content, and explore new creative projects for our teams.”
Obviously quite a bit of shaking up, but sounds like fans still have plenty to look forward to. What are you hoping to see out of the next Civ game?
