EA Shuts Down Maxis

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  • Created by: Shawn Zipay
  • Published: 03-04-2015, 04:18 PM
  • 4 comments
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  • EA Shuts Down Maxis

    EA has shut down Maxis Emeryville, which is the main Maxis studio and the same studio that created the SimCity and Sims franchises. A representative from EA gave an explanation of what is going on.
    Today we are consolidating Maxis IP development to our studios in Redwood Shores, Salt Lake City, Helsinki and Melbourne locations as we close our Emeryville location. Maxis continues to support and develop new experiences for current Sims and SimCity players, while expanding our franchises to new platforms and developing new cross-platform IP.

    These changes do not impact our plans for The Sims. Players will continue to see rich new experiences in The Sims 4, with our first expansion pack coming soon along with a full slate of additional updates and content in the pipeline.

    All employees impacted by the changes today will be given opportunities to explore other positions within the Maxis studios and throughout EA. For those that are leaving the company, we are working to ensure the best possible transition with separation packages and career assistance.

    Not only did they shut down Maxis, but they did so right as the 2015 Game Developers Conference is in full swing. That's possibly a new low.

    Maxis was originally founded in 1987. One of their latest releases in 2013, SimCity, was plagued with a huge number of issues and complaints. Though without direct confirmation, it has long been suspected by most people that a lot of the unsavory design choices made for SimCity were due to pressures directly from EA.
    Tags: Other, Multi, ea, simcity, maxis, sims, closure, game industry, the sims, ea maxis, maxis emeryville, maxis closure, ea shuts down maxis, simcity 2013, simcity 3000
      • K-16
        #1
        K-16 commented
        03-04-2015, 04:37 PM
        Editing a comment
        So that leaves the Maxis "department" in Redwood City, and the Maxis Salt Lake City studio. Wonder how long it'll be until EA shuts those down too? Pretty convenient way to shake off blame on executive mistakes. Not sure about SimCity though, because I think the devs admitted their design mistakes had nothing to do with corporate decisions.
        • Shawn Zipay
          #2
          Shawn Zipay commented
          03-04-2015, 04:54 PM
          Editing a comment
          Originally posted by K-16
          Not sure about SimCity though, because I think the devs admitted their design mistakes had nothing to do with corporate decisions.
          You're not going to throw your employer, the people who pay your bills, under the bus.
          • K-16
            #3
            K-16 commented
            03-04-2015, 05:18 PM
            Editing a comment
            I'll keep an eye on new stories from the "trenches" then. This ought to be good.
            • cikame
              #4
              cikame commented
              03-05-2015, 11:41 AM
              Editing a comment
              I'm inclined to believe the more businessy decisions with SimCity 4's design were EA's ideas, Maxis games always have a quality to them and it's a shame to shut down a team that can deliver great experiences.
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