XCOM Designer Shows Off Canceled AI-Fueled Life Sim After Abruptly Shutting Down Studio

Jake Solomon, who previously served as creative director on XCOM 2 and Marvel’s Midnight Suns, announced today that the studio he founded, Midsummer Studios, is closing down. Solomon created Midsummer Studios in 2024 with the goal of “reinvent[ing] the life sim genre,” according to a press release from the time. In a post on X announcing the closure, Solomon wrote, “We built a studio, we made a game, and I’m really proud of both. 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.”

We built a studio, we made a game, and I'm really proud of both. 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… pic.twitter.com/RuYvDhdEZO

— Jake Solomon (@SolomonJake) February 19, 2026

Solomon also shared some pre-alpha footage from the game, which showcased an ambitious system in which players could customize their own television shows and write their own stories. In order to do that, Solomon disclosed in a follow-up post, “Our characters use AI for memory, reasoning and speech. 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.” Solomon did not provide a reason for the studio’s closure.

Studio closures and layoffs are arguably the games industry’s biggest crisis right now. Earlier today, Sony announced it would close Bluepoint Games, the studio behind the very well-received Demon’s Souls and Shadow of the Colossus remakes. In a 2024 interview with PC Gamer, Solomon said that Midsummer Studios had 11 employees, with plans to add two more. At the time of the studio’s creation, those included co-founder and Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth designer Will Miller, and Grant Rodiek, a longtime designer on the Sims franchise. It seems likely that, with Midsummer’s closure and Burbank‘s cancelation, all of those employees will be out of a job.

Still, Solomon tried to end the announcement on a positive note. “We have moments playing this game where characters come alive in a way we’ve never experienced. 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,” he wrote.