Few companies have mastered the art of making turn-based strategy games quite like Firaxis. The studio's work with Sid Meier's Civilization and XCOM have resulted in some incredible experiences in both franchises. What's interesting is how Firaxis were able to reboot MicroProse's XCOM franchise without sacrificing much of the depth the older titles had.
As with most games, however, the answers didn't appear overnight. Constant iteration throughout development is why XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2 are such great games. Even the original XCOM titles such as X-Com: Apocalypse went through quite a chaotic development cycle. Here are 10 facts about the XCOM franchise's development most don't know about. This list is in no particular order.
10 Originally A Sequel To Laser Squad
The XCOM franchise has Laser Squad to thank for its existence. This turn-based strategy game would set the foundation for many of XCOM's gameplay systems such as action points and panicking soldiers.
Julian Gollop wanted to make a sequel with an isometric view. Since MicroProse was publishing the hit Civilization at the time, they asked if Mythos Games could implement more strategy elements to the game. This is how the foundation of XCOM's strategy layer was born. Firaxis paid tribute to Laser Squad as well by imitating the game's cover art for XCOM: Enemy Unknown's box art.
9 The Bureau Was Originally An FPS
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is the black sheep of the series, being a third-person shooter instead of a strategy game. Even though the game's overall setting and systems reflect a typical third-person shooter, The Bureau was originally a horror-themed FPS title under the name XCOM.
A reveal trailer was shown in 2010 to mixed reception. Fans thought the game was not true to the XCOM name with aliens being black blobs of goo instead of classical extraterrestrials. With the game's development in trouble, 2K Marin oversaw the development and overhauled the game to The Bureau that XCOM fans know today. If it wasn't for this redesign, the game would likely never have released.
8 XCOM 2's Funky Hit Percentages
Some XCOM players swear that the percentage chance they have to hit a target is factually incorrect. Incredibly unlucky players have expressed that they miss 100% shots even though they should always land while players have sworn that an 85% chance to hit almost always lands.
That is because XCOM 2 lies to the player about a character's hit percentage. In actuality, the game gives players a much higher chance of hitting than what's on display. On easier difficulty settings, an 85% chance is closer to a 95% chance according to an interview with Jake Solomon, the lead designer for XCOM 2. As for why 100% hits can miss, the game rounds up if a shot has half of a percent chance or higher of hitting. Don't expect this sort of percentage leniency on Legendary difficulty, however, as this percentage favoritism towards the player is disabled on higher difficulty settings.
7 Mutator Mondays
Rebooting a beloved turn-based strategy franchise is no small feat. Firaxis did a fantastic job streamlining the original UFO Defense with XCOM: Enemy Unknown without compromising on moment-to-moment strategy. It took almost the entire development cycle to get here, however.
During the game's development, Firaxis had difficulty determining how to handle core systems such as weapon range, displaying information to the player, and how to handle actions. As a means to quickly fix the game's unfun state, Firaxis imposed a "Mutator Mondays" event where staff could add a single change to the game that lasts a week. It is thanks to these events that grenades instantly explode, set weapon ranges were removed, and the game's UI is much cleaner. Eurogamer goes into more detail on how this system saved the game's troubled development.
6 First Firaxis IP Without Sid Meier's Name
While not a major development fact, the XCOM franchise was the first IP Firaxis worked on that did not have Sid Meier associated with it. Sid Meier is the Director of Creative Development at Firaxis Games and responsible for many of the games developed by Firaxis, such as Civilization and titles from MicroProse.
Even without his involvement during development, Sid Meier is a possible hero character in XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2 who can be generated by changing a solider's name to "Sid Meier" with no nickname.
5 XCOM 2's Difficulty Changes
Everything in XCOM 2 is cranked up to 11. The game's difficulty and a plethora of new skills are the most noteworthy changes, with a small subset of players criticizing the game's overabundance of timers and tough enemies.
However, Firaxis planned for the game to be much easier during most of XCOM 2's development. The game's implementation of stealth and a wide range of group-clearing skills had made the game too easy. This resulted in Firaxis rebalancing the game rather late in development to give it the same sense of challenge as the original. Even with the mixed reception of mission timers, most agree that this change was for the better.
4 X-Com Apocalypse Had A Disastrous Development
X-Com: Apocalypse is arguably the most forgotten main-entry in the XCOM franchise. This game is the most ambitious XCOM title ever that revolves around a major city and managing multiple organizations instead of simply stopping an alien invasion.
Needless to say, the game's development was a nightmare. The main issue was a development split between MicroProse wanting to create the visuals of the game while Mythos Games developed the other systems. Since MicroProse didn't understand the isometric view the title was going for, however, the two teams ended up harming each other's progress towards finishing the game.
3 Terror From The Deep Was Made In Six Months
After the success of UFO Defense, MicroProse wanted Mythos Games to create a sequel to the game in only six months. To reach such a short deadline, the game would need to remain mostly the same with a few visual and mechanical tweaks.
That is why X-Com: Terror from the Deep is functionally the same as UFO Defense but set underwater and with a few new weapons.
2 Enemy Unknown's Messy Prototype
Despite the well-polished mechanics and systems present in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Firaxis struggled with making the game easy to understand while still adding new systems.
According to Eurogamer, the game's prototype was a complete failure. This version of the game lacked cover, used a movement and action point system similar to the original UFO Defense, and also had Enemy Unknown's host of class and weapon systems that cluttered the game more than helped. Even though it took a year to develop, Firaxis deemed the prototype to be below standard and started from scratch.
1 Chimera Squad Is A Gameplay Experiment
Many XCOM fans were shocked that Firaxis announced and released a new XCOM game within the same month. XCOM: Chimera Squad is a strange title that changes much of the core XCOM formula. Regardless of someone's stance on the game's changes, it was intended to be a giant experiment and entry point for the series.
Firaxis made it clear that this game was focusing on telling interpersonal stories and experimenting with game mechanics rather than making a full expansion for XCOM 2 or War of the Chosen. The game's unique characters and removal of permadeath mainly stem from Firaxis experimenting with storytelling components. While it hasn't been outright confirmed, it's safe to assume that Firaxis made Chimera Squad as a way of testing the waters for major mechanical changes in a future XCOM title.