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Marvelgirl
Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 4th Mar 2015 at 9:06 PM
Default Maxis no more
Hi I just heard the news that EA has shut down Maxis studio after 12 years.

It is as been said that the brand will continue but the actual studio has close, so I am not sure how this will affect the Sims but wanted to spread the word of the demise of another great developer.

http://kotaku.com/ea-shuts-down-sim...axis-1689454903
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simmer22
Mad Poster
#2 Old 4th Mar 2015 at 9:09 PM
Didn't that happen several years ago? Or have I missed something?
RoseCity
Mad Poster
#3 Old 4th Mar 2015 at 9:29 PM
The link says they closed Maxis Emeryville.
Nysha
Née whiterider
retired moderator
#4 Old 4th Mar 2015 at 9:34 PM
Eh. They've already shut down and recreated Maxis once, and it's not like there was anything uniquely Maxis any more anyway. I doubt it's gonna make a difference.
What I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact.
joandsarah77
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#5 Old 4th Mar 2015 at 9:51 PM
Maxis was shut down years ago, I believe it was dissolved at or after Sims 2 Pets was released. While they may call a division Maxis and 'recreate' it and close down 'maxis' departments, it hasn't really been Maxis for years.
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~Call me Jo~
PSDuckie
Inventor
#6 Old 4th Mar 2015 at 11:13 PM
Also, according to the Lazy Game Reviews video regarding the shutdown, the Maxis that EA just closed was the one responsible for the new SimCity, NOT the one responsible for the Sims games.
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Zarathustra
Mad Poster
#7 Old 4th Mar 2015 at 11:16 PM
Imagine what would happen if another iteration of the REAL, ORIGINAL Maxis were to take shape now though! Think about how groundbreaking TS1 was for its time, and how much more (comparatively speaking) its EPs added than any of the other games since then... and then imagine that level of groundbreaking design moved forward a few decades, to today!
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ScaryRob
Theorist
#8 Old 5th Mar 2015 at 5:51 AM
Ah well, it seems many computer gamers have their favorite developers. I myself associate Maxis mainly with the SimCity series, although I've spent countless more hours playing Sims.
My first interest in computer gaming, though, was the strategy genre, and there are thousands of people who still mourn the demise of SSI.
The core programmers for SSI are still around of course, nowadays known as 2 By 3 Games.
Guest
#9 Old 5th Mar 2015 at 7:03 AM
I totally forgot about SimAnt!
GnatGoSplat
Theorist
#10 Old 5th Mar 2015 at 3:58 PM
I feel bad for the employees that lost their jobs. Having to go on job interviews, hoping to land a job, and having to start something new in a new place with new people is very stressful. Not to mention cost of living in CA is really high so there's stress from having bills to pay, family to support, etc. Just thinking if that happened to me, it would be a really big deal. I'd consider it rather devastating, actually.
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maxon
The Great AntiJen
retired moderator
#11 Old 5th Mar 2015 at 4:45 PM
This is what Clint (LGR) actually said for those interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXJ7VdeD3ng
I love his voice.

Also EA sucks.
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VerDeTerre
Mad Poster
#12 Old 5th Mar 2015 at 8:18 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Marvelgirl
Hi I just heard the news that EA has shut down Maxis studio after 12 years.

It is as been said that the brand will continue but the actual studio has close, so I am not sure how this will affect the Sims but wanted to spread the word of the demise of another great developer.

http://kotaku.com/ea-shuts-down-sim...axis-1689454903


I read an interview with Will Wright once where he credited EA for their role in bringing The Sims to life. Maxis executives weren't thrilled by the idea when Will pitched it, but EA did, so it was a go, so then Maxis, under EA, got involved.

I don't know enough of the history of how much Maxis has been involved since the original The Sims.
Addicted to The Sims since 2000.
VerDeTerre
Mad Poster
#13 Old 6th Mar 2015 at 1:02 AM
Clearly someone thinks I was lying, so here it is. "WW" Stands for Will Wright:
Quote:
....So how did you keep the project alive?

WW: I was trying to get resources within Maxis, and nobody wanted to spend the resources on developing it. On the other hand, we had this small group in San Mateo that was doing tools and technology for our company, but nobody was using their tools. It was kind of this programmer thing of "not invented here", and so they were trying to make these code frameworks and things and the department was like, "No, I'd rather bring my own."

So we were about to pull the plug on this little group, because nobody was using what they were making, but they were really brilliant guys. This was like four guys.

So I said, "Look, just give me those guys over there." They weren't even in the same office, and nobody saw them anyway, and so they became my little black ops group. I went over there and they really got it. They worked for the first year trying to bring it up and getting it running, and we were making great progress. That was right around the time that EA came in.

We were on the public market at that point, and EA was doing due diligence, deciding if they wanted to buy our company or not. They were originally thinking they wanted to buy Maxis because of SimCity, but some of the executives at EA saw The Sims and were like, "What's this?" We didn't even tell them; nobody mentioned we were working on this project.

They actually felt very excited about it, and it wasn't longer after that EA bought Maxis. EA's management that came to help broaden Maxis were so excited by it, at that point there was no problem. I got plenty of resources on the team and it was all downhill from there.

So EA saved it in a way?

WW: Yes. It was like a total Monday, and as soon as Luc Barthelet, the general manager EA brought in, came in he was like, "Yeah, what do you need? Let's go for it." He was very into it, and had a lot of contributions in terms of us launching the community around it and all that stuff, so probably Luc more than anybody else was responsible.


Source: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/featu...ght.php?print=1
Addicted to The Sims since 2000.
VerDeTerre
Mad Poster
#14 Old 6th Mar 2015 at 10:12 AM
I guess you think The Sims (all of them) are shit.
Addicted to The Sims since 2000.
Volvenom
dodgy builder
#15 Old 6th Mar 2015 at 12:40 PM
Quote: Originally posted by GnatGoSplat
I feel bad for the employees that lost their jobs. Having to go on job interviews, hoping to land a job, and having to start something new in a new place with new people is very stressful. Not to mention cost of living in CA is really high so there's stress from having bills to pay, family to support, etc. Just thinking if that happened to me, it would be a really big deal. I'd consider it rather devastating, actually.


It's kind of funny how they talk about Emeryville, it's almost like it's only the building and they haven't really looked at each individual creator and worker in that buidlig. Like "We Lose Money!!! - Lets Just Close Down That Building and Sack All the People Working There". I do hope they actually for their own sake had a look at them like qualified workers.

Saying that I have only read my messages on twitter, those VERY short one's :p
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