Stardock, developers of the Galactic Civilization series and Elemental: War of Magic, have added an important new member to their team. Jon Shafer, formerly of Firaxis Games, has now been hired by the company.
Shafer was the lead designer and principal programmer for Civilization V but left Firaxis Games just two short weeks ago. His new duties at Stardock include contributing to the design and increasing mod support for Elemental. Eventually he will lead his own team in creating an entirely new game for the developer.
Despite multiple job offers Shafer ultimately decided on Stardock because of his admiration for their games. He also expressed that the developer’s freedom to make games he would like to make helped in his decision.
No information can be given on Shafer’s unannounced future project at this point, but he certainly knows how to make a great strategy game considering how well received Civilization V has been. Don’t be too surprised to see another strategy title from Shafer in the near future.