During his guest appearance this week on the March 21 episode of the "My Perfect Console" podcast, former Firaxis game designer Jake Solomon announced that while he's not sure what his next project will be, he knows that it definitely won't be a new turn-based tactics or strategy title such as his previous work with XCOM 2 and Midnight Suns. Having recently left Firaxis after more than 20 years with the studio, Solomon has not landed at a new home or started his own studio yet, but has already voiced his intent to move away from the genres his previous work is known for to instead focus on making a life-simulation game utilizing systems-based design.
Originally starting as a programmer on the Civilization series with Firaxis back in 2001, Solomon went on to be the designer and driving force behind the XCOM franchise's relaunch with the excellent XCOM: Enemy Unknown in 2012. After directing the successful sequel to the XCOM franchise relaunch with XCOM 2 and its War of the Chosen expansion, Solomon's next project was the ambitious turn-based tactics and Marvel crossover title Midnight Suns. Despite critical acclaim and positive fan reception, Midnight Suns failed to meet initial sales expectations, and it wasn't long after news broke of the disappointing performance of the title that Solomon announced his departure from Firaxis.
The Future of XCOM Hangs In The Balance
Shortly before announcing that he was leaving Firaxis Solomon revealed that not only was XCOM 3 not in active development, there also were not any current plans that he was aware of for the studio to move forward with another entry. With Firaxis now having lost the individual responsible for the spearheading of the franchise's relaunch, the future of the XCOM franchise would appear to be tenuous at best. The loss of Solomon's design and direction for a potential sequel could spell disaster for the continuation of the XCOM franchise.
It's worth noting, however, that XCOM 2 has generated well over $130 million in sales for Firaxis and still maintains a sizable active player count on Steam. For Firaxis to abandon the franchise entirely without Solomon's guiding hand doesn't make sense. Critical and commercial success of the XCOM series' relaunch dictates that Firaxis should definitely have plans for a third entry in the franchise, but the question that looms over the title now is regarding who will steer the ship. If a future XCOM 3 will iterate and improve upon the previous game in the same way that XCOM 2 did over Enemy Within, it will require someone with proven success and experience designing and implementing innovative systems and combat in a tactics title.
Lessons To Be Learned From Midnight Suns
Solomon is on record having claimed his decision to leave Firaxis was not influenced by the realization that Midnight Suns underperformed, but that fact certainly couldn't have made his position at the studio enviable given the game's licensing of the Marvel characters and universe, currently one of the highest-profile IP in entertainment. The causes of the game's struggle to meet sales expectations have been attributed to everything from its release window to the fact that the game was attached to a mass-appeal property with gameplay that arguably appeals to a very niche audience. But perhaps the true reason behind the game's shortcomings is much simpler: Midnight Suns tried to throw everything at the kitchen sink and lost sight of what the studio does best in the process.
Part of the brilliance of the XCOM relaunch was found in the fact that the games were a pure distillation of the turn-based tactics genre and required players to consider every possible variable to a battle. And while Midnight Suns' switch from behind-the-scenes RNG to a card-based system didn't do anything to diminish from the need for strategy, the incorporation of social systems and team-building in-between each mission felt more like an afterthought than another carefully curated system upon which the core gameplay was built. Knowing now that Solomon is interested in developing a life-simulation title helps to shine some light as to why Midnight Suns included these systems, but with the door open for a new hand to guide Firaxis' next tactics-based title, there is hope that XCOM 3 will course-correct from that game's slight missteps.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns is out now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, with PS4, Switch, and Xbox One versions coming later.