Firaxis, the developer behind the Civilization series, is laying off an undisclosed number of staff as part of a restructuring effort, despite the company's expectations of financial growth for 2025. The layoffs follow turmoil at another 2K studio, and some affected employees have shared their experiences on social media. The move comes even as Firaxis continues to update Civilization VII, which was released in February 2025.
2K has confirmed a staff reduction at Firaxis, affecting dozens of employees as part of a restructuring to enhance adaptability, collaboration, and creativity, despite strong financial performance by parent company Take-Two Interactive.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns, developed by Firaxis, is available for free to claim and keep forever through Amazon Prime Gaming as part of Prime Day celebrations, offering a rare opportunity for players to access the critically acclaimed superhero RTS game without cost, despite its initial sales struggles and subsequent discounts.
Firaxis, the studio behind XCOM and Civilization, has laid off around 30 employees after the commercial failure of their latest title, Marvel's Midnight Suns. Despite critical acclaim, the game failed to convert core gamers to the strategic niche. The studio is owned by Take-Two Interactive and published by 2K Games.
Several developers at Firaxis Games, the studio behind Marvel's Midnight Suns, have been laid off in what the parent company 2K calls "a sharpening of focus, enhancements of efficiencies, and an alignment of our talent against our highest priorities." Firaxis' most recent game, Midnight Suns, had a strong commercial reception but was deemed to have underperformed by Take-Two. The studio's immediate next project is a new entry in the Civilization series, and they have "new creative projects for our teams" in the works.
Jake Solomon, former designer and director at Firaxis, plans to open a new studio and create a "systems-based game" that is more of a life simulator or simulation-style game. Solomon, who worked on XCOM 2 and Marvel's Midnight Suns, wants to move away from turn-based strategy games and focus on system design. He left Firaxis after two decades to pursue a new dream and is currently seeking funding to register an official name for his Baltimore-based studio.
Jake Solomon, the director of Marvel’s Midnight Suns and the modern XCOM franchise, has announced his departure from Firaxis and his intention to form his own studio to work on a different kind of strategy game. He stated that he likely won't make another turn-based strategy game, and instead plans to make a simulation-style game. Solomon is seeking funding and registering an official name for the company, which will be based in Baltimore.
