2K announces that industry veteran and Firaxis Games Chief Operating Officer Heather Hazen has been promoted to Studio Head, ushering in a new era of development for the legendary interactive entertainment studio behind Sid Meier’s Civilization, XCOM, and the recently released and critically acclaimed Marvel’s Midnight Suns
As Studio Head, Heather Hazen will lead the development teams at Firaxis Games and will be responsible for creating the best strategy games on the planet. With 22 years of experience in the gaming and entertainment world, Heather Hazen joined Firaxis Games in 2020 as Chief Operating Officer. Prior to Firaxis Games, she served as Executive Producer on Fortnite at Epic Games, as well as Plants vs. Zombies and Bejeweled at PopCap Games. Heather Hazen’s promotion comes as Steve Martin, Studio Head of Firaxis, will leave the studio after more than 25 years with the organization.
« We are thrilled to welcome Heather Hazen as the new Studio Head of Firaxis Games. We are confident that she will continue to lead Firaxis on the road to success that 2K’s independent studio has always demonstrated, » said David Ismailer, President of 2K. « 2K and Firaxis Games are deeply grateful for the foundation Steve Martin has laid at the studio over the years, with more than 30 game launches across three genre-defining franchises, and for ensuring a smooth transition for Heather in her new role. Firaxis is one of the most renowned studios in our company and the industry, and we are confident that the team will continue to do great things under his leadership. »
« I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to continue the studio’s historic legacy, starting with the announcement of Firaxis working on the development of the next iteration of the legendary Civilization franchise, » says Heather Hazen. « I am fortunate to work with some of the best developers in our industry, and we intend to take the Civilization franchise to exciting new heights for our millions of players around the world. In addition, we will continue to support Marvel’s Midnight Suns with post-launch content and explore new creative projects for our teams. »
Ed Beach will continue his role as Creative Director on the upcoming Civilization title. Ed Beach has been an integral part of the development of Civilization titles for over 15 years and most recently led the design of Civilization VI, the best-selling Civilization game to date. The Civilization franchise is one of the most complete and award-winning gaming franchises, with over 65 million copies sold to date.
In addition, Jake Solomon, former Creative Director of the XCOM franchise and Marvel’s Midnight Suns, will leave the studio. Jake Solomon is leaving after more than two decades at Firaxis Games and was instrumental in revitalizing the turn-based tactical genre with the releases of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, XCOM 2 and Marvel’s Midnight Suns.
« I’m starting a new chapter; however, I’m incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to fulfill my dreams at Firaxis Games, » says Jake Solomon. « I’d like to thank everyone who has enjoyed XCOM and Marvel’s Midnight Suns, as well as my development and publishing partners who have helped bring these games to life. »
« Jake has revolutionized turn-based tactical games and continually raised the bar for storytelling in the strategy genre, » adds David Ismailer. « We deeply appreciate his work and look forward to seeing what he does in the future. »
