Midsummer Studios, a new game developer founded by veteran talent from Firaxis, has officially shut down, bringing an ambitious “next-gen Sims-like” project to an abrupt end. The closure was revealed in a social media post from studio co-founder Jake Solomon, who also shared the first—and now final—public look at the team’s in-development life simulation game, Burbank.
Solomon is best known for his long run at Firaxis, where he served as creative director and lead designer for more than two decades. His work helped shape modern strategy gaming through major releases such as XCOM 2 and Marvel’s Midnight Suns. In 2024, he left to start something entirely new: a player-driven life sim aimed at generating stories through everyday drama, shaped not by scripted quests, but by the choices players make moment to moment.
He co-founded Midsummer Studios alongside other experienced developers, including Will Miller, another former Firaxis contributor with credits that include Civilization: Beyond Earth and Midnight Suns, and Ryan Meier, the son of Civilization creator Sid Meier. Together, they set out to build a modern life simulator designed around the idea that players create the most memorable narratives themselves.
“The best stories in games are written by the players” was the guiding philosophy behind the project. The team’s goal was a life simulation game focused on the drama of modern living, where players could naturally create meaningful, shareable stories just by playing.
To support development, Midsummer Studios raised $6 million from a group of investors. After securing funding, the studio planned to grow in a sustainable way while emphasizing a people-first company culture. Part of that approach included benefits such as shared equity and unlimited paid time off—an unusual setup in an industry often criticized for burnout and instability.
Despite the strong start, the studio’s momentum didn’t last. On February 19, Solomon announced that Midsummer Studios would be closing its doors, and that the project was ending with it. In his message, he described pride in what the team built and offered a final video showcase of Burbank, calling it the game they “poured our hearts into.”
No official reason was provided for the shutdown, and there has been no confirmed report of internal trouble. That silence has fueled speculation among players about what may have happened behind the scenes. Some discussions have pointed to the game’s reported use of AI systems—specifically large language models (LLMs) intended to interact with players and respond to communication in real time—as a possible factor. However, no evidence has been shared publicly to confirm whether that technology played any role in the closure.
For now, Burbank remains an intriguing “what could have been” for fans of life simulation games and for those who followed Solomon’s post-Firaxis journey. Until more information comes from official channels, the future of the project—and what’s next for the developers behind it—remains unclear.
