Jake Solomon, a 23-year veteran at legendary strategy-focused studio Firaxis, has immediately introduced his new unbiased studio, Midsummer Studios.
Solomon is joined by Will Miller, a fellow Firaxis veteran, in addition to Grant Rodiek, who spent 18 years at Maxis engaged on The Sims. The directorial group is rounded out by Nelsie Birch, who has a background in monetary administration.
The studio, which presently consists of ten individuals, is engaged on its debut title, a player-driven life simulation sport aiming for the “mid-premium” (AA) market. Midsummer has raised $6 million in enterprise capital funding, from teams like Krafton, Transcend Fund and others.
We have now a full interview with Jake Solomon, the place he discusses his departure from Firaxis, Midsummer’s debut title and the present tumultuous state of the gaming business.
A Completely different Form Of Life Sim
Midsummer is presently engaged on a life simulation sport pushed by self-created narratives. You’re going to pilot a personality in a small city, with the sport’s complicated programs creating emergent storylines for the participant to react to.
“I actually needed it to be about emergent tales – to create a form of playground,” Solomon instructed DualShockers. “The thought is that it’s set in a small city, and you may change all the pieces. We’ve staffed it with characters, however gamers can change these characters in any means they need. You’re guiding your character via their small-town life and we’re injecting drama, massive and small.”
The thought was borne out of Solomon’s love for self-created narratives in his earlier work like XCOM 2. You’ll be able to customise your troopers, giving them persona and background. Then, you’ll see the place the sport takes them, creating an natural story for these characters that you just invested time and creativity into.
“All the video games I made beforehand at Firaxis weren’t as scripted, they’re extra systems-based,” Solomon says. “I obtained an thought in my head, what if we doubled down on player-driven narratives?”
This was the driving power behind the creation of Midsummer Studios. At present, the group is engaged on growing a prototype, and finally a demo.
