Civilization V Lead Designer Leaves Firaxis

Jon Shafer, lead designer and principal gameplay programmer for the well-reviewed PC strategy game Civilization V, has left Take-Two subsidiary studio Firaxis after nearly six years at the developer. Freelance writer and Gamasutra contributor Troy Goodfellow reported Shafer's departure in a Tuesday post on the strategy gaming blog, Flash of Steel. Shafer stated, "I very much enjoyed my time Firaxis, worked on many projects that I’ve very proud of and got to know a lot of amazing people. I’m appreciative of the opportunities provided by Firaxis and [Take-Two label] 2K, and hope to see (and play) more great games from them in the future." Shafer had been with Firaxis since 2005, and left the developer on his own accord this month following work on an extensive patch for Civilization V. He also worked on past Civilization games including Civilization IV and its expansion packs, according to his LinkedIn business profile. Civilization V released in September this year and earned a 90 percent Metacritic score. Publisher Take-Two named the title as one of the key revenue and profit drivers for its most recent fiscal quarter. Firaxis marketing director Kelley Gilmore confirmed the news with Gamasutra, stating, "We are grateful for Jon’s contributions to Firaxis and the Civilization franchise and wish him all the best in the future."