Dhruin
SasqWatch
Whatever mistakes Stardock made with Elemental, they see, determimed to add some big names to the project as it goes forward. Various sites and the Stardock blog are reporting Jon Shafer, previously the lead designer on Civilisation V, has joined Stardock, as has author Dave Stern. Shafer will assist with the design efforts and Stern will oversee the creative writing. There's also an interview with Schafer at Shacknews:
More information.Shack: With Derek Paxton leading continuing development on Elemental: War of Magic, what will your responsibilities be on the project?
Jon Shafer: I'll be playing the game a lot, providing design ideas and feedback to producer Derek Paxton and the rest of the team. The overarching vision for the game is already established, so I'll be doing my best to support that and make the game as good as it can be. A big focus for me will also be to evaluate the modding system and find ways to improve it. Stardock's goal has been to make Elemental a great platform that can be transformed into something very different, so I'll be lending my experience to that cause.