EA Shuts Down ‘SimCity’ & ‘The Sims’ Developer Maxis
Quote:
EA have announced the closure of Maxis Emeryville, the studio behind such iconic titles as SimCity and The Sims. Rumors were circulating that the studio might have met its end after employees began tweeting about the situation, but those reports have now been confirmed in a statement released to Polygon by EA earlier today.
Founded in 1987, Maxis first rose to prominence with the release of the original SimCity. That title established the template for much of the studio’s output, which co-founder Will Wright would later compare to ‘digital dollhouses’. These titles encouraged ongoing play, without the strict win conditions and fail states often expected from video games.
While SimCity is one of the most beloved series in gaming, Maxis’ biggest hit would come in 2000 with the release of The Sims. The franchise has sold more than 100 million units in the years since, with The Sims 4 being released just last year to a moderately positive response.
....
The Sims and SimCity will, however, continue on even without the studio that created them. Sister studios in Salt Lake City, Redwood Shores, Helsinki and Melbourne will continue their efforts in producing DLC content and mobile ports for both franchises.
RIP The Sims pretty much. I'm glad Maxis is back doing The Sims 4, but The Sims 3 should be enough to let EA/Sims Studio know that the game is severely crap without them.
I don't think there's much to it. EA closed a lot of studios that were in charge of the Sims over the years just to keep everything in their studios in California.
