Firaxis Games, the developer famous for the Civilization franchise and works of co-founder Sid Meier, has reportedly laid off several employees in early September 2025. The extent of these layoffs is unclear, but it’s part of a continuing trend of significant internal restructuring that is causing concern among many in the gaming community.

Firaxis, established in 1996 by Meier, Jeff Briggs, and Brian Reynolds, has managed to build a legacy with multiple mainline Civilization titles and other popular strategy games, including the XCOM series and Marvel’s Midnight Suns.

Layoffs at Firaxis Games

Reports indicate an unspecified number of employees have been laid off from the studio. Former Firaxis writer Emma Kidwell announced her layoff on September 4 via LinkedIn, where she expressed her desire for new job opportunities.

A representative for 2K, Firaxis’ parent company, acknowledged an inquiry from RockPaperShotgun but did not disclose how many employees were impacted, instead describing the layoffs as a part of a restructuring process aimed at enhancing the company’s adaptability and creative collaboration.

This isn’t the first instance of job cuts within 2K’s development studios. The WWE 2K series developer Visual Concepts faced similar layoffs in September 2023 and February 2024, although official figures for those reductions were also not revealed.

The trend of job reductions and project cancellations is not unique to 2K; many gaming studios have reported significant layoffs and closures. Microsoft, for example, recently made cuts that affected approximately 9,000 employees and halted the development of key projects.