XCOM veteran Jake Solomon's AI-powered, narrative-driven Sims rival bites the dust

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.

Burbank always sounded like an intriguing prospect. A life sim set in a small town, with interconnected characters and a player-driven approach to how the narrative pans out and how relationships develop. In that aforementioned interview with Solomon, he told us the goal was to create "emergent drama" - it definitely sounded more zoomed in and narrative-focused than something like The Sims or Inzoi. I certainly thought at the time that, if Midsummer could actually create that level of narrative depth and freedom, it would have the potential to be one of the best life games of recent times. However, we'll sadly never get to play it.

"We built a studio, we made a game, and I'm really proud of both," the former XCOM creative director says in a post on X. "Before we close the doors at Midsummer Studios I'd like to share a glimpse of Burbank, the game we poured our hearts into. It's like 'life sims + The Truman Show,' but it's more than that. I believe people are storytellers, and I want them to share whatever stories and characters they can dream up. Burbank lets you do that. We have moments playing this game where characters come alive in a way we've never experienced. And for an old game developer like me that's special."

Solomon also shares "pre-alpha" footage of the game, which shows how you can create sitcom-like scenarios with a customizable cast. You can force different styles of interactions between the characters - you can, for example, command one person to engage with another in a humorous or confrontational way, and a suitable interaction will then follow. As your cast levels up, they gain new abilities like audience-pleasing catchphrases. Over time, you'll unlock new settings and characters in Burbank's town that you can direct.

We built a studio, we made a game, and I'm really proud of both. Before we close the doors at Midsummer Studios I'd like to share a glimpse of Burbank, the game we poured our hearts into.

It's like "Life Sims + The Truman Show," but it's more than that. I believe people are… pic.twitter.com/RuYvDhdEZO

- Jake Solomon (@SolomonJake) February 19, 2026

However, it quickly becomes clear that the conversations and dialog are being partly or wholly AI-generated. For example, a feature lets you dig deeper into a character's backstory by typing in whatever prompt you want, and they'll respond with an appropriate answer.

Replying to his initial statement about Midsummer's closure, Solomon confirms this, but assures that Burbank's art isn't AI-generated.

"Our characters use AI for memory, reasoning and speech. That's what lets you create anyone you want and drop them in any story you write. But all of our art is created by our talented artists. We had no interest in replacing any developers with AI."

This is surprising for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the use of AI was never previously disclosed by Solomon - in a Bloomberg interview in 2024, he said: "We have looked at it. I think every developer has looked at AI. It's interesting - you look at it with some excitement and some horror. I'm sure it will become a part of games, but I think it remains to be seen if it becomes as ubiquitous as multiplayer. I don't think all games will have it. Anybody afraid of AI taking over the world has not worked with it much on a daily basis."

While other games have used AI in similar ways to power dialog, with a recent and notable example being the free-to-play Where Winds Meet, I think it's a bit disappointing to know it was being used in Burbank given the focus was on quality storytelling. I sympathize to an extent, as AI is the only affordable way to get the breadth of narrative possibilities Midsummer wanted. But, as games using similar AI-voiced or written characters have found, the quality of those interactions often suffers.

The second surprise is that Midsummer is shutting down at all. Of course, studios are cutting back and closing left, right, and center at the moment, and finding financial backing is extremely hard right now. But if anything is going to catch the eye of investors, surely it's AI integration? The studio was only formed two years ago, and managed to secure an initial $6 million in venture capital to help build Burbank, according to that Bloomberg report.