For those who have been playing the SimCity franchise, you guys are probably aware that Maxis is the developer behind the titles. Unfortunately if you are hoping to see future titles released under the Maxis banner, you might be disappointed to learn that EA has recently announced that they will be shutting down Maxis.This does not mean that there will no longer be future SimCity or The Sims titles, but rather development of those franchises will be moved to EA’s own studios at Redwood Shores, California; Salt Lake City; Helsinki; and Melbourne, Australia. EA has since released a statement confirming the shutdown, but declined to comment on how many employees were affected by it.
According to EA, “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.”
EA also adds, “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.” Like the statement says, it will not be affecting the development of future SimCity or The Sims titles, but gamers will no longer be able to expect to see it developed under the Maxis banner in the future.