Firaxis Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Sparks, Maryland. The company was founded in May 1996 by Sid Meier, Jeff Briggs and Brian Reynolds following their departure from MicroProse, Meier's earlier venture. They were acquired by Take-Two Interactive in August 2005, and subsequently became part of the publisher's 2K label. Firaxis Games is best known for developing the Civilization and XCOM series, as well as many other games bearing Meier's name.

Sparks is an unincorporated community that is located in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) north of Baltimore and is considered to be a suburb of the City of Baltimore. The Gunpowder River runs through Sparks.