Created New XCOM, Leaves Firaxis After 14 Years
Garth DeAngelis, co-creator of the new installments of the XCOM series and Marvel's Midnight Suns, is leaving the ranks of Firaxis Games after fourteen years of service.
Firaxis Games loses Garth DeAngelis - producer best known for his series of tactical turn-based strategy games XCOM, which he and his team provided with a second youth.
- The developer started working on it exactly fourteen years and one month ago. His first project at Firaxis Games was XCOM: Enemy Unknown released on PC, PS3 and X360 in 2012.
- He then went on to co-create the major DLC Enemy Within to the first game and the sequel (2016), which also saw a sizable expansion in the form of War of the Chosen.
- The last game that involved DeAngelis was released in early December 2022 - Marvel's Midnight Suns.
We do not know the reason for the developer's departure. However, one may wonder whether his decision was prompted by the debut of this superhero game, which passed without much echo in the industry. Admittedly, the title received many positive reviews, but the data from Steam suggests that it is not a sales hit.
Suffice it to say that a month after its release, it lived to see a 33% price reduction on Valve's platform. Running from January 2 to 16, the deal apparently tempted quite a few people, because player numbers on Steam began to gradually increase. Nevertheless, the all-time activity of Marvel's Midnight Suns, 15,500 achieved at launch, is still about 50% away.
So the moods at Firaxis Games may be sour. Nonetheless, Garth DeAngelis - in his departures, calling his co-workers the most dedicated team he could have dreamed of - seems to be saying goodbye to the team in good spirits. The developer thanked its members for the years spent together. He also virtually bowed to the fans. We don't know what the developer will do next.
