The next ‘Civilization’ game is in development

Firaxis has announced that the “next iteration” of Civilization is in development, following a major reshuffle at the studio.

Today (February 17), Firaxis announced that its chief operating officer, Heather Hazen, has been promoted to studio head.

In a statement, Hazen shared that she is “thrilled to have this opportunity to carry on the studio’s storied legacy, beginning with the announcement that Firaxis is in development on the next iteration of the legendary Civilization franchise.”

“I’m lucky to be working with some of the best developers in our industry, and we have plans to take the Civilization franchise to exciting new heights for our millions of players around the world,” continued Hazen, who added that Firaxis will “continue to support Marvel’s Midnight Suns with post-launch content, and explore new creative projects for our teams.”

Hazen’s comments are the first official confirmation from Firaxis that the next Civilization game is in the works. The studio’s last mainline entry was Civilization 6 in 2016, which was a follow-up to 2010’s Civilization 5.

“We are excited to welcome Heather Hazen as the new studio head of Firaxis Games, and believe she will continue to drive the success Firaxis has consistently delivered as part of 2K’s independent studio model,” said David Ismailer, president of 2K. “Firaxis is one of our company and industry’s most renowned studios, and we are confident that the team will continue to do great things under her leadership.”

The confirmation comes as Jake Solomon, the creative director behind Marvel’s Midnight Suns and XCOM, announced that he was leaving Firaxis to chase a “new dream”.

Announcing the news, Solomon thanked Civilization creator Sid Meier for mentoring him at Firaxis, claiming “if I’m ever half as good as him I’ll be twice as good as I am now.”