Steve Martin and Jake Solomon are leaving Firaxis behind after over two decades.

2K, part of Take-Two, has announced that Firaxis is working on the next Sid Meier’s Civilization, and there have been significant changes at the studio. Studio head Steve Martin is leaving after 25 years and has been replaced by the chief operating officer, Heather Hazen. She will lead the Firaxis development teams to “create the best strategy games on the planet.” She joined Firaxis in 2020 and worked at Epic Games (executive producer on Fortnite) and PopCap Games (Plants vs. Zombies, Bejeweled). Jake Solomon, the other departing director, was the director of the XCOM franchise and creative director of Marvel’s Midnight Suns, and he spent 20 years at the studio.

The creative director for Sid Meier’s Civilization remains unchanged, with Ed Beach staying in the position, and he has been an “integral part” in the development of the games for a decade and a half, most recently leading the development of Sid Meier’s Civilization VI. So, in this case, we might not be in for a significant change, but XCOM is because without Solomon, even if XCOM 3 does happen, it could be a different game from the previous one (which was cleverly marketed).

“We are excited to welcome Heather Hazen as the new Studio Head of Firaxis Games. We believe she will continue to drive the success Firaxis has consistently delivered as part of 2 K’s independent studio model. 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 ensuring a smooth transition for Heather into her new role. Firaxis is one of our company and the industry’s most renowned studios, and we are confident that the team will continue to do great things under her leadership. Jake revolutionized tactical turn-based games and continually raised the bar for storytelling in the strategy genre. We deeply appreciate his work and can’t wait to see what he does next,” David Ismailer, 2 K’s president, wrote in the press release.

“I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to carry on the studio’s storied legacy, beginning with the announcement that Firaxis is developing 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 worldwide. In addition, we will continue to support Marvel’s Midnight Suns with post-launch content and explore new creative projects for our teams,” Hazen added. “I’m embarking on a new chapter; however, I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to fulfill my dreams at Firaxis Games. 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,” Solomon wrote.

Firaxis will not be the same.

Source: Gematsu