EA Shuts Down SimCity Developer Maxis

By +Frank B.
in Gamers' Hangout

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Grand Master

+InsaneNutter MVC

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  • MVC
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I didn't say thay make games. You implied that by saying "everything EA touches ends up being garbage". I think the truth is that publishers definitely have an influence over the final product (in the case of Maxis they have all the influence because they've owned Maxis for ages).

Like I said, not everything EA touches over the years is "gargabe". I gave you plenty of counter-examples

 

All the examples you listed were good at some point, however too many new versions, dlc and expansions are churned out every year to the point where its just too much and hard to actually be interested in. We don't need a new Need for Speed game every year or Sims expansion, when you have been playing pc games for the last 17 years you realise most stuff EA has anything to do with is just been milked until the franchise is ruined.

 

However exceptions do exist, The Saboteur for example is one of my favourite games of the last generation. Army of Two was also really good when played co-op with a friend.
Grand Master

Orange

Posted
Posted

E.A Again.... Remember old Westwood for the Red Alert series... blame again. Sim City 2000 was my childhood game. I was 12 when sim city 2000 came out, loved it, brought 3000 and that was awesome, 4.. was so so.

  • Torolol and +Random Stranger
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Cute James

Posted
Posted

*sigh* I loved Maxis back in the day......

 

Sim City

Sim City 2000

Sim Earth

Sim Ant

Sim Farm

Sim Tower

Sim Isle (I actually hated this one, but still...)

Sim Copter

Streets of SimCity

Sim Town

and even later Sim Safari

 

Indeed, so many great titles from the 80s/90s.

 

Also, don't forget the underrated 'Sim Brick':

http://hol.abime.net/5854

Grand Master

theyarecomingforyou

Posted
Posted

It's like what Microsoft did with Ensemble Studios - force them to make terrible games and then shut them down when those games flop. Maxis used to be a decent developer but that was a LONG time ago.

Grand Master

+Zagadka Subscriber²

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I don't think this means SimCity as a franchise is dead... just shifted to an entirely different team. Which given the track record, will fail.

 

Anyway, with the current trends, we may see those old Sim games (SimTower etc) remastered. Though EA may screw that up, too.

Grand Master

LUTZIFER

Posted
Posted

SimCity used to be pretty much my favorite game for years. Was addicted to it in 2000 or somewhere back then.

Been many years since Ive played it now. I do have Cities XXL installed though, but have only tried it a couple times so far.

 

I play The Sims 4 quite often though, when I'm bored and not playing NFS Rivals.

EA is still my favorite game company, they make incredible games, always have.

Grand Master

The_Decryptor Veteran

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Considering how they botched the last Sim City game, this isn't surprising. As much as people like to blame EA, I doubt they would have gone out of their way to make a bad game, a lot of the problems with the latest Sim City were architectural that EA had nothing to do with.

Poor Maxis... I still have my Sim City for the C64 with the box cover that looked like an old radio.

I have the same version, but for the Amiga.

I do not, and never have, owned an Amiga.

Grand Master

+InsaneNutter MVC

Posted
  • MVC
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Anyone know how I can play Sim Tower on a modern OS?

 

You can install Windows 3.1 under Dosbox and play it like that. I imagine a Windows 95/98/ME Virtual Machine would work well too.

Grand Master

red.

Posted
Posted

no more sim city series.   :(

 

I played Sim City 2000, Sim City 3000, Sims, and others.

 

 

Or EA could have let them make a proper SimCity game, without all the wacky restrictions.

 

 

SimCity used to be pretty much my favorite game for years. Was addicted to it in 2000 or somewhere back then.

Been many years since Ive played it now. I do have Cities XXL installed though, but have only tried it a couple times so far.

 

I play The Sims 4 quite often though, when I'm bored and not playing NFS Rivals.

EA is still my favorite game company, they make incredible games, always have.

 

You guys should check out Cities: Skylines. Hearing good things that it's more like the older SimCity games.

Grand Master

theyarecomingforyou

Posted
Posted

Considering how they botched the last Sim City game, this isn't surprising. As much as people like to blame EA, I doubt they would have gone out of their way to make a bad game, a lot of the problems with the latest Sim City were architectural that EA had nothing to do with.

Actually, most of the criticism was directed at the always-online DRM that was included. That's something that EA would have pushed and it massively backfired. It's also worth noting that the pricing was particularly obnoxious, with the regular version costing

Grand Master

+Random Stranger Subscriber¹

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So does this mean the end of Sim games or will EA still produce those?

 

EA subsequently confirmed the closure in a statement saying that development effort is now being "consolidated" to the other Maxis offices in Redwood Shores, Salt Lake City, Helsinki, and Melbourne. It has subsequently been reported by Polygon that there have been some job losses at the Redwood Shores location.

 

Development of The Sims franchise, including the latest The Sims 4, largely took place in Redwood Shores and Salt Lake City, and EA says that the closure will have no impact on that game or its imminent and near-endless pipeline of DLC.

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