Bit Reactor.

[SammyKhalifa]

This just came up on my phone. It might belong on another forum in here but I thought it might affect Civ6 too.
https://gamerant.com/bit-reactor-studio-civilization-xcom-developers/

Bit Reactor, which will be based on Maryland alongside Firaxis, is being led by the Civilization and XCOM studio's former art director, Greg Foertsch. Foertsch will take on the role of co-founder and CEO in the new studio. He's being joined by a team of veterans who have also departed Firaxis and have deep roots in the Civilization and XCOM franchises.

...

But it also makes clear that Bit Reactor's focus will trend away from the 4X Civilization experiences created at Firaxis to instead focus on games more like XCOM.

 

[TheMarshmallowBear]

https://twitter.com/FXS_MisterKevin/status/1484250106509631496/photo/1 Kevin Schultz responded with this.

He then responds with : "Just to be clear, I have not joined Bit Reactor.".

Which makes this whole bit incredibly dodgy and shady.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Considering Civ 6 is done, I don't think it effects Civ 6 at all. Now for future games who knows?
I do wonder if Anton decided to join them after he announced he was leaving Firaxis?

 

[Hellenism Salesman]

Well this is confusing...

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

Sarah Lynn also left Firaxis recently, although her Twitter bio says she is at ZoS (whatever that is) not Bit Reactor.

I am somewhat leery that so much Firaxis talent has jumped ship simultaneously. On one hand, maybe most of these people had signed on for a specific project that has ended and they are looking for something else to stir their creative juices. I get that. On the other hand, some of these people come from different projects. And Sarah was heading (I think) a brand new, large, and prestigious Marvel game before inexplicably leaving. Between that so many people leaving for a new competing company headed by another former employee, it makes me suspect there might be a leadership problem or a problem with corporate.

In my old career, I personally saw a failure in leadership create a situation where employee turnover accelerated and at least two competing companies were created by former employees. It's likely that situation is not going on here, but it does bear some of the same signs.

 

[Zaarin]

Between that so many people leaving for a new competing company headed by another former employee, it makes me suspect there might be a leadership problem or a problem with corporate.

Reading between the lines, I've suspected the same for a while.

 

[HorseshoeHermit]

God help me them if it's NFTs.

 

[pokiehl]

Sarah Lynn also left Firaxis recently, although her Twitter bio says she is at ZoS (whatever that is) not Bit Reactor.

ZoS is ZeniMax Online Studios (a subsidiary of the giant compan ZeniMax). They made Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76.

Reading between the lines, I've suspected the same for a while.

Really? What else makes you think that?

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

ZoS is ZeniMax Online Studios (a subsidiary of the giant compan ZeniMax). They made Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76.


Really? What else makes you think that?


Huh? If what is NFTs?

I suspected it was Zenimax, but I hadn't seen it abbreviated that way.

Also, some companies have been ruminating about possibly doing in-app sales as NFTs. I'm not exactly sure how that plays out, but it sounds really annoying.

 

[SammyKhalifa]

I suspected it was Zenimax, but I hadn't seen it abbreviated that way.

Also, some companies have been ruminating about possibly doing in-app sales as NFTs. I'm not exactly sure how that plays out, but it sounds really annoying.

ugh, when steam etc came around, I thought "owning" software that you don't own was bad enough . . .

 

[Zaarin]

Really? What else makes you think that?

Nothing specific, just a combination of watching development over the years and intuition. I'm certainly not pointing fingers at anyone, and I have no privileged or inside information.

 

[tedhebert]

Seems to me like really bad news VS the outlook on CIV future

 

[vorlon_mi]

Trivia note: I was playing Civ3 last night, as the Americans, and building lots of cities. One of them came up as "Hunt Valley," which puzzled me. Where is that? Now I know ... it's the hometown of Firaxis and Bit Reactor.

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Between that so many people leaving for a new competing company headed by another former employee, it makes me suspect there might be a leadership problem or a problem with corporate.

I wouldn't be surprised if it had something to do with the higher ups at 2K.
Someone there thought the launcher was a good idea too.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

I bet this is why Bit Reactor is drawing so much strategy game talent:

https://twitter.com/EAStarWars/status/1485975709168271366?s=20

They're partnering with EA's Respawn to make a Star Wars strategy game. And since Bit Reactor seems like it's more focused on XCOM style tactical than 4X, one can assume that it's probably a turn-based squad tactics Star Wars game (which does sound pretty cool, attachment to EA not withstanding).