ea 'SimCity' releasing on Mac in early 2013, PC beta announced

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

'SimCity' releasing on Mac in early 2013, PC beta announced

In an announcement timed with its Gamescom press conference, Electronic Arts revealed that the next installment of SimCity will now be coming to Mac in February 2013, right alongside the PC version.

SimCity for Mac will be sold as a digital download through Origin. The release stated that the Mac version "will feature the same deep, rich gameplay that will define the PC experience as players on both platforms compete or collaborate to create a new world, together." In addition to feature parity, this also reinforces that Mac and PC players will be able to experience cross-platform multiplayer. SimCity will allow several players to build a region of cities together, sharing energy, pollution and tourism concerns over the web.

EA is also encouraging interested parties to sign up for the SimCity beta starting tomorrow (the site is currently down), for a chance at early access to the game. Unfortunately the beta is limited to just the PC version.

For more from the floor of Gamescom, check out our on-going StoryStream of all the big news.

Source: Polygon/The Verge

[+Warwagon MVC]

Wish me luck!

[44MLX]

Good Luck ;).

[.Neo]

For me the franchise died after SimCity 3000. Hopefully this will revive it, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Max Norris]

For me the franchise died after SimCity 3000. Hopefully this will revive it, but I'm won't hold my breath.

Ditto that.. hoping they remember what made the game great in the first place. 4 wasn't tooooooo bad (not great, but not bad.. when it worked), but Societies was a huge WTF for me.

[RadishTM Veteran]

Can't wait to get my hands on this beta :D

[Pupik]

Can't wait to get my hands on this :D

I'd pre-order now, if not the crazy price (60 euros for the regular version) on Origin. Will wait for some sale to get it.

[perochan]

mac version! sweet!

[djdanster]

I'd pre-order now, if not the crazy price (60 euros for the regular version) on Origin. Will wait for some sale to get it.

Have a look on Amazon, it's a lot cheaper. Yea it's not the digital download but it'll save you around ?20 :).

Signed up!

[spaceelf]

I'll preorder eventually, but for now I'm signed up for the beta :)

[Pam14160]

Still use Sim City 2000 on XP setup in a VM. Love building a city then watch it get torn down with all kind of diasters. . .

[123456789A]

Isn't Origin that wacky DRM thing? Have they improved it so it's not so invasive?

[spaceelf]

Isn't Origin that wacky DRM thing? Have they improved it so it's not so invasive?

It's a client, just like Steam. It's as invasive as Steam, which is to say it isn't.

They've improved its less favorable points, at least. (The 9.0 beta cleared up the last thing I didn't like about it.)

[Roxkis]

is there a single player?

[dcghost]

Signed up...crossing my fingers :)

[spaceelf]

is there a single player?

There's no offline mode iirc, but there is single player. Your friends cities can affect yours if you add them though.

[scaramonga]

Signed up, hope I get in :) Thx! :)

[Dane]

Dxdiag? What is that when signing up?

I gotta do it when I get home I guess.

[Sylar0]

Ditto that.. hoping they remember what made the game great in the first place. 4 wasn't tooooooo bad (not great, but not bad.. when it worked), but Societies was a huge WTF for me.

Indeed 3000 was my first and best simcity game, 4 I like but I dont love. Regional play vs large cities like 3000 turned me off a little I mean these days surely we want a larger than 256x256 grid and cities the population of toyko.... never touched Societies glad i read the reviews first.

[spaceelf]

Dxdiag? What is that when signing up?

I gotta do it when I get home I guess.

Run dxdiag. Save dxdiag.txt. That's what they want.

[PyX]

For me the franchise died after SimCity 3000. Hopefully this will revive it, but I'm not holding my breath.

Sim City 4 was good, the only "WTF" part was the missions that I would do to cover the bankruptcy of my city, and the slowness of the game. I mean, come on, I could play it right away on my Quad-Core iMac and it would still be slow like a dog.

Never played Societies, but the feed-back I heard from this wasn?t all that good?

I really have high expectations for SimCity 5. They?ve had over 8 years since Sim City 4 I think, the game better satisfy me, or else I may have to wait another 8 years and at this point, SimCity 6 will be a gamble?

Unfortunately the beta is limited to just the PC version.

Does that automatically mean the Mac version will have more bugs ?

[Razorwing]

I can't wait for this.

[Tech085]

Coming to Mac. nice to hear I am excited for this game, Hope I am accept in the Beta : )

[remixedcat]

Signed up for the beta.... I played the cities xl beta and I hope this is better. Long time Simcity fan here.... hope it will hold up to SC2K. That one is tough to beat.

[Dane]

I signed up now. Hopefully they let us know soon!