The former creative director of Firaxis Games has announced that Midsummer Studios will be closing down

Midsummer Studios, established by Jake Solomon, known for his work on XCOM, will soon cease operations.

In an announcement via social media, the CEO and chief creative officer shared an early look at the unfinished game Burbank, prior to the studio's shutdown.

"We created a studio and developed a game, both of which I am very proud of," expressed Solomon. "The game was a personal aspiration, and our team brought it to life. Join us in watching and dreaming."

In a subsequent post, Solomon explained that artificial intelligence powered the character performances.

"Our characters are designed using AI for functions like memory, reasoning, and speech, enabling the creation of unique characters for any story," he commented.

"However, all our artwork is crafted by skilled artists. Replacing developers with AI was never our intention."

Solomon founded Midsummer in 2024 alongside former Firaxis lead designer Will Miller and financial expert Nelsie Birch.

The company secured $6 million in funding, mainly from Transcend Fund, with additional investments from Tirtra Ventures, Betaworks Ventures, 1 Up Ventures, F4 Fund, Krafton, and Day Zero Productions.