Jake Solomon's decision to move from making some of the best strategy games ever to an ambitious life sim was a perplexing but exciting one. Spinning up a new studio, Midsummer, he pitched it as "a life sim that really tries to elevate the choices the player makes in their life" when he spoke to us back in 2024. Inspired by The Sims, this would open up an even wider narrative sandbox than Maxis' iconic series. However, the former XCOM and Civilization developer has confirmed that Midsummer is closing its doors, and that the new game (titled Burbank) will never see the light of day. As a parting gift, he's shared a first look at what the game could've been, and the biggest surprise is that its narrative and dialog is AI-powered.
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