Jake Solomon, a embellished sport designer identified for his work at Firaxis on video games like XCOM and Marvel Midnight Suns, has introduced that his studio Midsummer goes to shut. In doing so, he additionally shared a pre-alpha take a look at the “Life Sims + The Truman Present” sport the studio was making, referred to as Burbank.
Solomon did not elaborate on the explanations for closure in the assertion he launched on X. “We constructed a studio, we made a sport, and I am actually happy with each,” he wrote. “Earlier than we shut the doorways at Midsummer Studios I might wish to share a glimpse of Burbank, the sport we poured our hearts into.”
Burbank appears to be a sport about making TV exhibits with a solid of characters you’ll be able to choose up and drop into numerous customisable conditions. It jogs my memory lots of Lionhead’s The Films.
The Burbank trailer exhibits considerably action-figure-like individuals main dramatic lives in a small-town location, which you watch as if you’ll a cleaning soap opera on TV. The trailer then reveals that you are the one directing it, selecting the characters who’ll be the celebrities after which including a assist solid from bundles of assist solid characters. You then select a broad define for the episode, set up character motivations and behavior, and go on to unlock new solid talents as you play.
The alluring half appears to be that you just’re not completely in management, which implies your actors and characters have minds of their very own, so discovering out what they will do when positioned in sure conditions turns into a key a part of the sport. You set their parameters after which watch to see what you’ve got created.
Jake Solomon defined: “It is like ‘Life Sims + The Truman Present’, nevertheless it’s greater than that. I consider persons are storytellers, and I would like them to share no matter tales and characters they will dream up. Burbank helps you to try this.
“We now have moments taking part in this sport the place characters come alive in a method we have by no means skilled. And for an outdated sport developer like me that is particular […] This sport was a dream of mine, our crew made it come true, so watch and dream with us.”
He later added: “Our characters use AI for reminiscence, reasoning and speech. That is what helps you to create anybody you need and drop them in any story you write. However all of our artwork is created by our proficient artists. We had little interest in changing *any* builders with AI.”
That’s the solely different remark he made.
It is a shocking announcement and it is unhappy, and it is also barely unusual in that it would not unequivocally state that this sport’s journey is over. The language used appears to counsel Burbank may dwell on, but when the studio is about to shut, how may that be? Jake Solomon has given no earlier indication the studio was in hassle. His final put up on LinkedIn, made three months in the past, had him saying he was “excited to share extra about what we’re constructing quickly”.
We final spoke to Solomon in 2024, a few years after Marvel’s Midnight Suns had charmed us, and after Solomon had left Firaxis to create his personal studio and spin-up this new sport concept. In that interview, he stated Midsummer had been backed by enterprise capitalists and obtained funding from PUBG maker Krafton. I am assuming that cash has now run out. Solomon additionally talked extra concerning the pondering behind Burbank, and the ‘create your personal tales’ concept.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns was launched in 2022. It is a card-based, turn-based spin on creating your personal Marvel superhero crew – and Marvel superhero – after which saving the day. And superb it was too. “Nice tactical enjoyable nestled in a sweet-natured superhero dollhouse,” wrote Christian Donlan in our Marvel’s Midnight Suns evaluate.
