Solomon is famed for his work on the XCOM franchise at Firaxis, though began his career as a programmer on Civilization 3. Solomon was also creative director of the beloved Marvel’s Midnight Suns,
In May 2024, Solomon announced Midsummer Studios, a fresh outfit founded by himself and other former Firaxis talent, with a goal to make a “next-generation entry to the life sim genre.” But now, just 21 months later, Midsummer is closing, and its life sim project appears to have been scrapped mid-development.
https://twitter.com/SolomonJake/status/2024510423190430181?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
“We built a studio, we made a game, and I’m really proud of both,” Solomon wrote in a post on social media. “Before we close the doors at Midsummer Studios I’d like to share a glimpse of Burbank, the game we poured our hearts into.
“It’s like ‘Life Sims + The Truman Show,’ but it’s more than that. I believe people are storytellers, and I want them to share whatever stories and characters they can dream up. Burbank let’s you do that.”
The trailer, above, shows players being able to create characters with detailed backstories, then place them in TV show-like scenes where they can direct interactions and watch as stories develop. Over time, the digital actors playing these characters can level up, new types of interaction can be unlocked, and more locations for the story to develop in can be unlocked.
One moment sees the player unlocking the ability to place their characters in The Office-style talking heads interviews, then prompt them with a specific question.
“We have moments playing this game where characters come alive in a way we’ve never experienced,” Solomon continued. “And for an old game developer like me that’s special. What you’re about to see is definitely pre-alpha. But this game was a dream of mine, our team made it come true, so watch and dream with us.”
In a follow-up post, Solomon clarified that yes, as the trailer certainly appears to suggest, AI is heavily used within the game, including for characters’ voices.
“Our characters use AI for memory, reasoning and speech,” Solomon added. “That’s what let’s you create anyone you want and drop them in any story you write. But all of our art is created by our talented artists. We had no interest in replacing *any* developers with AI.”
Elements of the concept appear somewhat similar to Nintendo’s Tomodachi Life series (although that uses gibberish rather than actual voices, and is meant to feel more random, rather than allowing for the detailed prompting of scenarios). Several responses to Solomon’s post also likened the idea to that of Lionhead Studios’ classic The Movies.
As yet, it’s unclear what Solomon’s next plans are. IGN has contacted Midsummer Studios for more.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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