Firaxis Games has officially announced that Civilization 7 is in development at the studio.
Revealed alongside the announcement that former COO Heather Hazen will be the new studio head, Firaxis confirmed that the next Civilization game is in development.
“I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to carry on the studio’s storied legacy, beginning with the announcement that Firaxis is in development on the next iteration of the legendary Civilization franchise,” said Hazen.
“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 around the world. In addition, we will continue to support Marvel’s Midnight Suns with post-launch content, and explore new creative projects for our teams.”
Fans have been patiently waiting for confirmation of a new entry for seven years, following the launch of Civilization 6 in 2016. The studio has since been at work on its other premiere strategy franchise in XCOM: Chimera Squad and most recently tried something brand new with the aforementioned Marvel’s Midnight Suns.
With the announcement only coming now, without any mention of a release date, mechanics, or any other game details, it’s likely that Civilisation 7 is still years away, but it will seemingly be Firaxis Games’ main focus going forward.
All gratitude. pic.twitter.com/pqe56mVvd5
— Jake Solomon (@SolomonJake) February 17, 2023
The studio will be doing so without one of its leading figures, however, as former creative director of the XCOM franchise and Marvel’s Midnight Suns Jake Solomon has announced his departure from Firaxis.
In a statement published to Twitter (above), Solomon said he had only positive feelings for his time at the studio and was only leaving to pursue a new passion.
“After 23 wonderful years, I’m moving on from Firaxis,” he said. “I’m a big dreamer, and I fulfilled two lifelong dreams in making XCOM (and XCOM 2, and War of the Chosen) and Marvel’s Midnight Suns. I’m the luckiest kid who ever lived.”
Solomon continued: “I loved designing tactical turn-based games, but it’s time for other, smarter people to push that space forward. My brain is on fire with a new dream. Time to go chase it.”
His departure means the three leading figures behind the XCOM franchise have now all departed Firaxis. Solomon as designer and director was joined by producer Garth DeAngelis and art director Greg Foertsch.
Editor’s Note: Updated to include information on Jake Solomon’s departure.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
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