Firaxis Games
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Game Crossovers and Collaborations
The article highlights recent crossovers and collaborations in the gaming industry. Overwatch heroes are featured in new cosmetic designs, and XCOM is receiving a 30th-anniversary tabletop miniatures game from Firaxis Games.
New XCOM game announced for dev’s 30th anniversary but there's a major catch
Firaxis Games is celebrating its 30th anniversary with the announcement of XCOM: The Miniatures Game, a tabletop adaptation developed in partnership with Modiphius. While a new video game installment in the XCOM series was not revealed, Firaxis also announced a sale on its back catalog on Steam and provided an update on Civilization 7.
XCOM To Get Miniatures-Focused Tabletop Game Celebrating 30 Years Of Firaxis
Firaxis announced a new XCOM tabletop miniatures game as part of its 30th-anniversary celebration. Developed by Modiphius Entertainment, the game will be inspired by XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Details on pricing and release date are forthcoming, though a previous XCOM board game was released by Fantasy Flight in 2015.
10 Best Tactical RPGs to play in 2026
This article ranks the 10 best tactical RPGs available, focusing on games with deep strategic combat and engaging narratives. The list includes titles like Divinity: Original Sin 2, Unicorn Overlord, and Marvel's Midnight Suns, highlighting their unique mechanics and story-driven experiences.
Civilization VI: Gathering Storm DLC Hits 91% Off in Massive Sale
Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm, a major expansion for the 4X strategy game, is currently on sale for $3.47, a 91% discount from its original $39.99 price. The expansion, which introduced environmental mechanics and climate change themes, is available on PC via WinGameStore. This deep discount highlights trends in PC gaming where publishers use aggressive sales on older DLC to drive engagement with base games.
"The best game ever": Old World designer dreams of making a sequel to Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri that "renews the mechanics"
Daniels Umanovskis, a designer on Mohawk Games' Old World, expressed a strong desire to create a sequel to Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, calling it "the best game ever." He believes a modern take on the game could renew its mechanics while maintaining its high-quality narrative and atmosphere. Soren Johnson, another designer at Mohawk, also commented on the challenges of designing modern 4X games without a clear 'empty map' starting point, often leading to sci-fi settings.
Is Fortnite Toxic? An Honest Answer Backed by Data (2026) | TAG
Data suggests Fortnite's reputation for toxicity is more nuanced than commonly perceived, with lower rates of identity-based harassment compared to other competitive shooters. While age-driven trash talk and skill-gap frustration are prevalent, especially in modes like Ranked, Epic Games has implemented moderation tools and default communication settings to mitigate harm, particularly for younger players.
Civilization 7 Delivers Second Patch 1.3.2 with Teen Account Support
Firaxis Games has released a second patch for Civilization 7 Update 1.3.2, focusing on stability improvements and introducing Teen Account support. This update reflects a broader industry trend towards making strategy games more accessible to younger audiences through features like parental controls and communication safeguards.
Firaxis reveal Civilization 7's not good enough at building attack maths, tanking its late-game performance - a patch/tutor is here
Firaxis Games has released Update 1.3.2 for Civilization 7, addressing late-game performance issues caused by inefficient calculations in game logic. The patch also introduces 2K's teen accounts, allowing parents to restrict online play, chat, and microtransaction access for players under 18. The developer also confirmed work continues on the 'Test of Time' update.
Midnight Suns Players Are Bringing Marvel’s Deep Cuts to Life
Players of Marvel's Midnight Suns are utilizing the game's robust character creator to recreate deep-cut Marvel characters like Viv Vision, showcasing impressive creativity and knowledge of the comics. This trend highlights the flexibility of Firaxis Games' creation tools and the community's passion for celebrating lesser-known characters.
Games Inbox: What is your favourite retro video game format?
Readers discuss their favorite retro gaming formats, with the Atari ST, ZX Spectrum, and Commodore 64 being popular choices. The discussion also touches on anticipation for upcoming games like The Witcher 4 and Switch 2, as well as the perceived decline of studios like Firaxis.
Xenonauts 2 review - a legally distinct XCOM 3
Xenonauts 2 is a turn-based tactics game that serves as a spiritual successor to the original X-COM, focusing on intense battles and strategic base management. While it excels as a homage with improved graphics and a challenging difficulty, it offers few new ideas and relies heavily on the random elements that defined the original.
"Keeping teams together doesn't seem to matter to people, but for us it did": Star Wars Zero Company's director on what the industry can learn from XCOM 2
Greg Foertsch, director of Star Wars Zero Company and former art director on XCOM 2, emphasizes the importance of keeping development teams together to foster institutional knowledge and trust. He argues that this cohesion, demonstrated by Firaxis Games' work on the XCOM series, leads to better games and is a valuable lesson for an industry frequently impacted by layoffs.
"I was chomping at the bit to crack the code": How procedural maps became XCOM 2's biggest ambition, after Firaxis couldn't manage it in Enemy Unknown
Firaxis Games initially struggled with procedural map generation for XCOM: Enemy Unknown, opting for handcrafted levels to ensure quality. For XCOM 2, the team prioritized cracking procedural generation, developing a 'plot and parcel' system to create varied and believable maps across different environments. Key figures like Garth DeAngelis, Jake Solomon, Greg Foertsch, and Brian Hess were instrumental in overcoming the technical and design challenges.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 appears to earn an estimated $30 thousand on Steam per negative review
GameDiscoverCo has released an unconventional analysis of Steam sales data, highlighting metrics like revenue per negative review. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 reportedly earns an estimated $30,000 for every negative review, indicating significant revenue despite player dissatisfaction. The analysis also touches on player sentiment, game abandonment, and the impact of multiplayer and free-to-play models on reviews.
"0.63 is the perfect default delay": Bungie, Respawn and Firaxis game developers talk NPC barks, grenade timing and other questions of craft
Game developers from studios like Firaxis, Bungie, and Respawn shared practical advice on various aspects of game development, including NPC dialogue, UI animation timing, and combat design principles. The discussion, initiated on Bluesky, highlighted the importance of small details in creating satisfying player experiences.
Star Wars Zero Company Studio Founder Says Call With Vince Zampella Led to Project’s Development
Bit Reactor studio founder Gregory Foertsch revealed that a call from Vince Zampella inspired the development of Star Wars Zero Company, a turn-based tactics game set in the Star Wars universe. The game, officially unveiled in April 2025, is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, with its story set between Episode 2 and Episode 3. Foertsch aimed to create a grittier atmosphere, drawing inspiration from Rogue One and The Clone Wars.
Star Wars Zero Company Studio is All-In on Tactical Combat, but “Depth Doesn’t Cost You Elegance”
Star Wars Zero Company, developed by BitReactor and featuring former XCOM leads, is an upcoming tactical combat game for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. The game emphasizes deep tactical gameplay while also incorporating rich storytelling, character backstories, and environmental exploration. Permadeath is a core feature, designed to evoke the theme of loss central to the Star Wars universe.
Soren Johnson on keeping his game studio small: 'You get better games if you take longer to make games'
Soren Johnson, co-founder of Mohawk Games, discusses the studio's strategy of remaining small to produce higher quality games over longer development cycles. Mohawk Games, known for 'Old World' and 'Offworld Trading Company,' is releasing new DLC for 'Old World' and plans to continue focusing on niche titles.
Star Wars Zero Company exists because late Call of Duty co-creator Vince Zampella wanted to know about an XCOM veteran's dream game: "Do you think you can make a Star Wars game with this?"
Late Call of Duty co-creator Vince Zampella initiated the development of Star Wars Zero Company by contacting a veteran XCOM developer about their dream game. Zampella, who passed away in 2025, was known for his significant influence in the industry. The project aims to create a Star Wars game within the strategy and tactics genre.
