Firaxis Games
Founded in 1996 by Sid Meier, Jeff Briggs, and Brian Reynolds after their departure from MicroProse, Firaxis is the direct creative continuation of the MicroProse ethos.
Foundation and Mission
Firaxis Games was incorporated in Sparks, Maryland in 1996 — minutes from MicroProse’s original Hunt Valley offices. Its founding mission was identical to MicroProse’s: create deep, meaningful simulation and strategy games driven by design rather than technology.
Under 2K Games (a Take-Two Interactive label), Firaxis produced Civilization III (2001), Civilization IV (2005), Civilization V (2010), XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012), and Civilization VI (2016). Each title drew directly on the MicroProse design legacy.
Sources: Wikipedia — Firaxis Games
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Firaxis’s 2012 remake of X-COM: UFO Defense introduced the classic design to a new generation. XCOM: Enemy Unknown faithfully preserved the two-layer structure (strategic Geoscape, tactical Battlescape) while modernising the interface, adding voiced characters, and rendering the action in full 3D.
Julian Gollop, the original’s designer, was consulted during development. The game was commercially and critically successful, winning multiple Game of the Year awards in 2012 and spawning the sequel XCOM 2 (2016).
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is available on Steam and GOG. It is the recommended entry point for players new to the X-COM concept before returning to the demanding 1994 original.
See also: Play OpenXcom for the authentic 1994 experience
Sources: Wikipedia — XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Civilization VI
Civilization VI (2016) is the most recent numbered entry in the franchise Sid Meier created at MicroProse in 1991. Designed by Ed Beach at Firaxis, it introduced the “district” system — unpacking city development across the game map — and a revised diplomacy engine.
Civilization VI received substantial post-launch content through the Rise and Fall (2018) and Gathering Storm (2019) expansions. It maintains an active community on CivFanatics and hosts a thriving modding scene.
The game’s “one more turn” quality — first described for the 1991 original — remains intact. Thirty years and six numbered sequels later, the core design insight of the original MicroProse team endures.
See also: CivFanatics community · Civilization flagship editorial
Living Projects
OpenXcom
The open-source X-COM engine has been in active development since 2009. It is the definitive modern platform for playing and modding the original X-COM: UFO Defense and Terror from the Deep. Over 1,000 mods available.
FreeCol
FreeCol continues to be developed as a free, cross-platform implementation of Colonization. Its Java codebase runs on any modern system. The project extends the 1994 design while remaining faithful to its core mechanics.
OpenTTD
OpenTTD, the Transport Tycoon open-source successor, has over one million downloads and maintains active development and an online multiplayer community. A direct descendant of MicroProse’s 1994 Chris Sawyer title.
Sid Meier’s Memoir!
Published in 2020 by W. W. Norton & Company, Sid Meier’s Memoir!: A Life in Computer Games (ISBN 978-0-393-35894-5) is Meier’s account of his career from the founding of MicroProse through his time at Firaxis.
The memoir is the primary authoritative source for the founding story of MicroProse, the development of Civilization, the Spectrum HoloByte merger, and Meier’s departure to found Firaxis. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of simulation and strategy gaming.
See also: Memoir excerpts and quotes
MicroProse Revival
In 2019 David Lagettie acquired the MicroProse trademark and relaunched the label as a publisher for new simulation and strategy games. The revived MicroProse has published titles including Task Force Admiral, Carrier Command 2, and Second Front, aiming to recapture the ethos of the original studio.
The revival is a separate operation from the original MicroProse (1982–2002) and from Firaxis; Sid Meier has no formal involvement. It represents an attempt to carry the MicroProse name into a new era of simulation gaming.