Second annual Firaxicon is happening in October

Firaxicon 2015

Last year was the first-ever Firaxicon, a convention dedicated to all things Firaxis, with activities including panels and presentations, advance hands-on time with Civilization: Beyond Earth, and "An Evening With Sid Meier." It must have gone over pretty well, because 2K Games announced today that it's doing it again this year.

Attendees of the second annual Firaxicon—and yes, it's now officially described as an annual deal—will have the opportunity to take part in a meet-and-greet with members of the Firaxis development team, attend panels hosted by the lead developers of XCOM and Civilization: Beyond Earth as well as Firaxis Creative Director Sid Meier, play pre-release versions of Civilization: Beyond Earth—Rising Tide and XCOM 2, do some board gaming with the Firaxis staff, and take part in various "community giveaways, challenges, and competitions," with XCOM and Civilization-themed prizes.

"Firaxicon provides us with a rare opportunity to sit down and talk with the people who enjoy our games most," Meier said. "This has quickly become one of the studio’s most popular events of the year. Our team members very much look forward to giving the fans an in-depth look at our latest projects this fall."

This year's Firaxicon will be a one-day event, running on October 3 in Baltimore, MD. Tickets are $40 each and may be purchased through Eventbrite.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.