First reported on Apolyton by webmaster Dan Quick, it has been confirmed by Firaxis programmer Scott Lewis that the big brain behind Civilization IV is moving on to work with EA/Maxis. I guess he likes companies that end in -axis.

How big a blow this is to Firaxis fans like me depends on how seriously you take Johnson’s earlier claims that he was working on a very exciting new game. Sid Meier always has a half-dozen prototypes competing for attention, and in spite of the misstep with Railroads, the company is full of great talent.

The Civ series will continue, in any case, of course. It has had four different leads in its four different phases, so it makes sense that a Civ V would have someone else take over. But having spoken with Johnson on many occasions, he has a real gift for understanding both what makes the series popular and what kind of risks needed to be taken to move it forward.

Good luck in California, Soren. Try not to get in the way of Will Wright’s robots.