The studio behind the acclaimed Civilization 7, Firaxis Games, has reportedly experienced a “staff restructuring,” resulting in an undisclosed number of job losses. This news was confirmed to RPS by their publisher, 2K.
Word of the staff reductions surfaced after a former Firaxis employee, Emma Kidwell, publicly announced her departure. In a LinkedIn post, Kidwell stated, “I was among those affected by the layoffs at Firaxis, and I’m now actively seeking full-time writing opportunities. During my nearly five years at the company, I contributed to both Civilization VII and Marvel’s Midnight Suns. I encourage anyone looking for talented individuals to consider my former colleagues who were also impacted.”
In response to an inquiry from RPS, a 2K representative issued a statement: “We can confirm that Firaxis Games implemented a staff reduction today as part of a strategic restructuring. This adjustment is intended to optimize our development processes, fostering improved adaptability, enhanced collaboration, and greater creativity.”
The 2K spokesperson emphasized that company policy prevents them from disclosing the specific number of employees affected by the layoffs. It’s worth noting that Kidwell’s announcement came shortly after the highly anticipated release of Hollow Knight: Silksong, which has captured widespread attention within the gaming community.
Firaxis previously implemented layoffs in 2023, affecting 30 employees as part of a broader cost-cutting initiative by Take-Two, 2K’s parent company. Since then, Firaxis launched Civilization 7. The title initially faced a mixed reception, with some players voicing concerns over the user interface and other gameplay aspects. Firaxis has since released a series of updates and patches to address these issues, refining gameplay elements and introducing expansive large-scale maps.
Greg Costikyan summarized the game in our Civilization 7 review:
Civilization 7, in its current state, exhibits certain shortcomings. While improvements are anticipated through future updates (and workarounds exist), some aspects feel somewhat unpolished. A primary concern revolves around the combat mechanics. Before elaborating on this issue, let’s examine some of Civilization 7’s notable new features. It’s evident that the central design objective was to address criticisms of previous iterations. In this regard, the game achieves a measure of success.
We extend our best wishes to all Firaxis employees affected by these layoffs.