After 23 years at Firaxis Games, Jake Solomon, best known for Marvel’s Midnight Suns and the XCOM series, has founded a new studio, Midsummer Studios. Solomon is joined by fellow founder and Firaxis alum Will Miller, and experienced COO Nelsie Birch. The studio is located in Baltimore, Maryland.
The company has raised $6 million from investors, and have already teased their first project: “a next-gen Life Sim that emphasizes player-driven narratives, allowing communities to share memorable moments that grow out of the creativity of players themselves.”
Midsummer Studios has added Grant Rodiek as executive producer. Rodiek is an 18-year veteran at Maxis Studios, and former producer and director on several installments and expansions for The Sims. When it comes to life sims, there’s still no bigger game in town than The Sims!
“The best stories in games are written by the players,” said Solomon, CEO and Creative Director, Midsummer Studios. “At Midsummer we’re making a life sim 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.”
Though it was ultimately a financial flop for Firaxis and 2K, we at Pixelkin loved Marvel’s Midnight Suns. The strategy game blended turn-based card game, superhero action, and relationship building between team mates.
Clearly, Solomon was also a big fan of designing those between-combat moments of hanging out with your fellow superheroes!
Given the recent announcement, don’t expect any new details about the yet untitled life sim anytime soon.
Life Sims are becoming increasingly popular, including a life sim set in Middle-Earth, and in the Dungeons & Dragons universe.
