Jake Solomon, the creative director behind XCOM 2 and Marvel's Midnight Suns, has announced the closure of his studio, Midsummer Studios, and shared a glimpse of the life simulation game he was developing.

Solomon left Firaxis to launch the new studio, 'Midsummer Studios', in May 2024. Serving as both CEO and creative director, he aimed to craft a life simulation title focused on modern life, allowing players to weave their own meaningful narratives.

Approximately 1 year and 9 months later, on February 20th of this year, Solomon announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he was closing Midsummer Studios. "I am incredibly proud of what we built and the game we were creating," he stated. The reason for the closure, coming less than two years after the studio's inception, was not disclosed.

However, Solomon introduced the life simulation game 'Burbank'. He described it as "a fusion of life simulation and The Truman Show, but with layers of depth beyond that. I believe everyone is a storyteller at heart, and I wanted to facilitate the sharing of every imaginable tale and character. Burbank was designed to make that a reality."

The pre-alpha footage he shared on X shows a system where players can produce their own in-game TV shows to carve out bespoke narratives. Solomon clarified, "The characters use AI for memory, reasoning, and dialogue, which allows players to insert anyone they fancy into their written stories. But all art was crafted by human artists, as I had absolutely no interest in replacing developers with AI."

Closing his statement, he reflected, "The team witnessed these characters coming to life in ways we’d never seen before—a truly special moment for a veteran developer like me. This game was my dream, and the team made it real. Please, watch the footage and dream along with us."