XCOM Veteran Jake Solomon Unveils Burbank Before Closing Midsummer Studios
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Former XCOM director Jake Solomon has shared a final look at his studio's ambitious AI-driven life sim project, Burbank, just as Midsummer Studios announces its closure.
Midsummer Studios, the development team founded by former XCOM director Jake Solomon with the goal of revitalizing the life sim genre, is shutting its doors. Originally launched in May 2024 with six million dollars in funding from backers like Krafton and various venture capital firms, the studio has officially ceased operations. As a final farewell, Solomon shared pre-alpha footage of the team's ambitious debut project, Burbank, giving players a look at what could have been.
Described by Solomon as a blend of life simulation and The Truman Show, Burbank was designed to function as a build-your-own-TV-series sandbox where players could drop custom characters into endlessly evolving narratives. The early footage highlights a heavy reliance on generative tools, with AI driving character memory, reasoning, and speech to create dynamic, unscripted social scenarios. While Solomon noted that the visual assets were entirely human-made and that the studio had no intention of replacing artists, the heavy use of generative technology for dialogue and narrative generation sits at the center of the project's unique vision.
The sudden closure of Midsummer Studios highlights the brutal financial realities of modern game development, particularly for fresh indie teams relying on venture capital runway. Even with millions in backing, getting experimental narrative systems and complex AI integration across the finish line proves immensely difficult. It remains unclear whether Burbank will ever find new life under another publisher or studio, leaving players and industry watchers to wonder what might have happened if the project had seen a full release. For more details on the studio's closure and a look at the pre-alpha footage, you can read the original report on Rock Paper Shotgun.
Tags: Midsummer Studios, Jake Solomon, Life Sim, AI Gaming, Industry News
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun