XCOM 2 - Firaxis Wants Players to Take Risks

Firaxis aims to make XCOM 2 more unpredictable, forcing players to take greater risks, says Jake Solomon, XCOM 2's creative director. Examiner gets the scoop.

When it comes to a good strategy game, the concept of unpredictability plays an important role. To strategize and develop new tactics are vital to being successful in strategy games as the enemies test your intellect and Firaxis wants the player to take risks when it comes to XCOM 2. Examiner.com recently spoke with Jake Solomon, creative director on XCOM 2, about the types of strategies players will be able to use, the unpredictable elements the title has to offer, and how players will need to cycle their soldiers to ensure a strong squad.

We asked Solomon whether or not players will be able to utilize similar strategies that they may have used in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, or if XCOM 2 would force the player to think of new tactics. Solomon told us that the development didn’t want players to play XCOM 2 and feel that things are completely different, but also didn’t want players to feel that everything they learned from Enemy Unknown would be effective to use in XCOM 2, either.

“Part of the joy of strategy, tactical games is that element of encountering a new system and learning it,” said Solomon.

As a result, Firaxis sought to eliminate the bad strategies that were forced on the player in Enemy Unknown. By doing so, Solomon says that they have been able to add a lot of unpredictable elements to XCOM 2.

“That’s why we’ve added a lot of unpredictable elements because we need them to take risks. When they take risks, that’s when they create situations that are memorable,” shared Solomon.

More information.