2K insists Jake Solomon departs ‘on good terms’, after disappointing Midnight Suns launch

“We have deep appreciation for his work and can’t wait to see what he does next”

Publisher 2K has insisted it’s on “good terms” with creative director Jake Solomon, amid news of his impending departure from the company.

On Friday it was announced that the director of Marvel’s Midnight Suns and the modern XCOM franchise will be leaving developer Firaxis after more than two decades, in addition to studio head Steve Martin.

The departures follow the disappointing launch of Marvel’s Midnight Suns, which was released in December and failed to make a list of the UK’s 100 best-selling games of 2022.

While the game was reviewed positively, all versions were heavily discounted within a month of release, suggesting that its publisher had been disappointed with its commercial performance.

VGC asked 2K if Solomon’s departure had any relation to the disappointing sales performance of Midnight Suns, to which a spokesperson replied that it was on “good terms” with the designer and was looking forward to seeing what he does next.

“Jake Solomon is leaving Firaxis Games on good terms after more than two decades at the studio,” it said. “Jake was instrumental in building the XCOM franchise and creating a wonderful new adventure in Marvel’s Midnight Suns. We have deep appreciation for his work and can’t wait to see what he does next.

“We are proud of what the team achieved with Marvel’s Midnight Suns, which was well-received by critics, Marvel fans and tactics players alike. We are excited for the future of Firaxis Games under new studio head Heather Hazen’s leadership, which includes confirmation that Firaxis is in development of the next Civilization game.

“We are focused on delivering our post-launch DLC content for Marvel’s Midnight Suns. The next DLC ‘Redemption’ – featuring Venom – is coming out on February 23.”

In his own statement published on Friday, Solomon said: “I loved designing tactical turn-based games, but it’s time for other, smarter people to push that space forward. My brain is on fire with a new dream. Time to go chase it.”

Earlier this month Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said Marvel’s Midnight Suns’ release window may have been a contributing factor in the game’s disappointing commercial performance.

Following a delay from the game’s previously planned October launch window, the PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC versions of Midnight Suns were released in early December, with last-gen console and Switch versions set to follow later.