Shack: What similarities/differences are you expecting coming from Firaxis, which was strictly the developer working with publisher 2K, versus Stardock, which is both the developer and publisher of its titles?
Jon Shafer: They're both great studios who've made games I grew up playing. So in terms of "output," they're very similar. The biggest difference is definitely that Stardock is a private company, owned by Brad Wardell. He's very involved in everything Stardock creates and brings a passion that shows through with his dedication to the community and continued support long after release. At the end of the day everything is his call, so if he feels that something needs to be done to produce a better game, he's the only one who has the pull the trigger for it to happen. Larger companies have a lot more resources at their disposal, but also more obligations and stakeholders.