Is it possible? Are these the concept artworks we've been looking for? Is a new Sim City on the horizon?
According to GameStar, a German magazine, Maxis, along with publisher Electronic Arts, is in development of the newest title in the Sim City series. Thank the maker too, since the last installment, Sim City Societies was a complete change of pace for the series containing completely different mechanics than the rest of the series, and Sim City 4 was released in 2003. With a tentative release date of 2013, this puts Sim City 5 at almost a decade in waiting.
Kip Katsarelis, Lead Producer for the game, revealed, “As you go through the game, you can customize your town and individual buildings.” But customize how?
Winding roads, perhaps? Yes, what Cities XL has capitalized on in the past few years Maxis will be implementing. The normal Sim City features will make a reprise as well; police, fire rescue, disasters, all the good stuff. And it will all be reported on in the 'SimCity Wire', the local newspaper for you city.
Oh, and did I mention multiplayer? Making true the dream of many budding city planners, SC5 will contain a multiplayer mode where mayors will manage specific regions and are able to interact with other mayors who might have extra resources to sell.
“There’s global leaderboards, where everything relates to economic production or raw material players can compete with other players," Katsarelis said. Something like a Sim Development Index.
Though we've been through the Sim City 5 rumor mill before, one can only hope that we're finally on track to see a new version of this beloved simulator. I personally cannot wait to put on my mayor's top hat and build up the next choking and smog-filled metropolis.
