Former XCOM Director Jake Solomon Announces Shock Closure of Studio Making 'Next-Gen' Life Sim, Publishes Trailer as a Farewell

Veteran crippled decorator Jake Solomon has announced the daze closure of his workplace and the evident cancellation of its "next-gen" beingness simulation game, portion publishing a glimpse astatine however it worked.

Solomon is famed for his enactment connected the XCOM franchise astatine Firaxis, though began his vocation arsenic a programmer connected Civilization 3. Solomon was besides originative manager of the beloved Marvel's Midnight Suns, though departed Firaxis pursuing its mediocre commercialized performance.

In May 2024, Solomon announced Midsummer Studios, a caller outfit founded by himself and different erstwhile Firaxis talent, with a extremity to marque a "next-generation introduction to the beingness sim genre." But now, conscionable 21 months later, Midsummer is closing, and its beingness sim task appears to person been scrapped mid-development.

"We built a studio, we made a game, and I'm truly arrogant of both," Solomon wrote successful a station connected societal media. "Before we adjacent the doors astatine Midsummer Studios I'd similar to stock a glimpse of Burbank, the crippled we poured our hearts into.

"It's similar 'Life Sims + The Truman Show,' but it's much than that. I judge radical are storytellers, and I privation them to stock immoderate stories and characters they tin imagination up. Burbank let's you bash that."

The trailer, above, shows players being capable to make characters with elaborate backstories, past spot them successful TV show-like scenes wherever they tin nonstop interactions and ticker arsenic stories develop. Over time, the integer actors playing these characters tin level up, caller types of enactment tin beryllium unlocked, and much locations for the communicative to make successful tin beryllium unlocked.

One infinitesimal sees the subordinate unlocking the quality to spot their characters successful The Office-style talking heads interviews, past punctual them with a circumstantial question.

Burbank, Midsummer's "next-generation" beingness sim game. Image credit: Midsummer Studios.

"We person moments playing this crippled wherever characters travel live successful a mode we've ne'er experienced," Solomon continued. "And for an aged crippled developer similar maine that's special. What you're astir to spot is decidedly pre-alpha. But this crippled was a imagination of mine, our squad made it travel true, truthful ticker and imagination with us."

In a follow-up post, Solomon clarified that yes, arsenic the trailer surely appears to suggest, AI is heavy utilized wrong the game, including for characters' voices.

"Our characters usage AI for memory, reasoning and speech," Solomon added. "That's what let's you make anyone you privation and driblet them successful immoderate communicative you write. But each of our creation is created by our talented artists. We had nary involvement successful replacing *any* developers with AI."

Elements of the conception look somewhat akin to Nintendo's Tomodachi Life bid (although that uses gibberish alternatively than existent voices, and is meant to consciousness much random, alternatively than allowing for the elaborate prompting of scenarios). Several responses to Solomon's station besides likened the thought to that of Lionhead Studios' classical The Movies.

As yet, it's unclear what Solomon's adjacent plans are. IGN has contacted Midsummer Studios for more.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social