***Update***
Electronic Arts has released an official statement on the closure of Maxis Emeryville, assuring gamers that there will be continued support for current Sims and SimCity players.
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.
***Original***
While Electronic Arts basks in the spotlight of a 'superb ovation' for Star Wars Battlefront, they have closed Maxis Emeryville, the studio behind SimCity (5) and Spore. Both SimCity and Spore felt a backlash from the gaming community; SimCity for a number of reasons, including massive server problems at launch, and Spore for its Digital rights management (DRM).
It's safe to say the studio was not experiencing an easy ride after SimCity.
Guillaume Pierre, formerly the Lead Gameplay Scripter and a Designer on SimCity, was the one to break the news wth a tweet. In response to his tweet, the community and game websites have asked for more details, but unfortunately Pierre cannot share any information at the moment.
Well it was a fun 12 years, but it's time to turn off the lights and put the key under the door. #RIPMaxisEmeryville
— Guillaume Pierre (@MaxisGuillaume) March 4, 2015
Barrie Tingle, formerly the Live Producer at Maxis joined Pierre on the Twitter reveal:
.@MaxisGuillaume was a rocky ride with SimCity but an honor to work with you these past 2 years.
— Barrie Tingle (@barrietingle) March 4, 2015
Maxis Emeryville's closure will not affect development of The Sims 4 since development for The Sims franchise is done at The Sims Studio located at EA’s Redwood City campus.
Good luck to all those affected by this closure, we hope to see everyone find new homes within the industry (if you choose to stay in it).
