Soren Johnson, game designer (Civ III, Civ IV, Spore, Old World)
Soren Johnson, game designer (Civ III, Civ IV, Spore, Old World)  
Podcast: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin
Published On: Tue Aug 25 2026
Description: Soren Johnson is an American programmer and game designer whose work has helped shape the modern strategy genre. After earning a master’s degree in Computer Science from Stanford University, he joined Firaxis Games, where he worked as both a programmer and designer on Civilization III before going on to lead the design of Civilization IV, one of the most celebrated strategy games yet made.Over the years he has contributed to a wide range of projects, including Spore, Dragon Age Legends, and Offworld Trading Company, bringing a distinctive blend of historical insight, systemic thinking, and player-driven design. Today he is the founder and design director of Mohawk Games, where he recently led the development of the acclaimed historical strategy game Old World. Alongside his development work, he continues to explore the craft of game design through his long-running blog and podcast, both of which are titled “Designer Notes”.Soren Johnson – website & podcastSoren Johnson – Designer Notes blogDesigner Notes podcast – episode archiveDesigner Notes – Apple PodcastsDesigner Notes – SpotifyMohawk Games & Old WorldMohawk Games – official siteOld World – official pageOld World – SteamOld World – GOGOld World – Epic Games StoreOld World: Empires of the Indus DLC – Mohawk GamesSoren's Perfect ConsolePinball Construction Set (1983) – WikipediaM.U.L.E. (1983) – WikipediaSeven Cities of Gold (1984) – WikipediaLegacy of the Ancients (1987) – WikipediaSid Meier's Alpha Centauri (1999) – WikipediaOther games and references mentionedCivilization IV – WikipediaCivilization III – WikipediaSid Meier's Pirates! (2004 remake) – WikipediaCivilization Revolution – WikipediaOffworld Trading Company – SteamSpore (2008) – WikipediaBalatro – SteamVampire Survivors – SteamSchedule I – SteamLethal Company – SteamBennett Foddy – personal siteDanielle Bunten Berry – Wikipedia (designer of M.U.L.E.)Trip Hawkins – Wikipedia (founder of Electronic Arts)Jake Solomon – WikipediaGame Developers Conference (GDC) – official siteSimon's bookTrial of the Space Invaders – pre-order (Bookshop.org UK)Trial of the Space Invaders – pre-order (Amazon UK)Support the showMy Perfect Console – episode archiveSupport My Perfect Console on PatreonBecome a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at www.patreon.com/myperfectconsoleTake the Acast listener survey to help shape the show: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin Survey 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.