Video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) has shut down Maxis Emeryville, the Maxis studio behind videogames such as SimCity and Spore.
Electronic Arts said in a statement, "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."
Electronic Arts said that the changes will not impact its plans for the Sims, adding that the first expansion pack for the Sims 4 will come soon, with additional updates and content in the pipeline.
The company said that employees impacted by the changes will be given opportunities to explore other positions within the Maxis studios and throughout Electronic Arts, while for employees leaving the company will be provided the best possible transition with separation packages and career assistance.
SimCity lead gameplay scripter and designer Guillaume Pierre tweeted, "Well it was a fun 12 years, but it's time to turn off the lights and put the key under the door. #RIP MaxisEmeryville."
Maxis was founded by Will Wright and Jeff Braun in 1987, and was acquired by Electronic Arts in 1997. SimCity is an open-ended city-building computer and console video game series originally designed by Wright.
The game was first published in 1989 as SimCity, and it expanded into several different editions sold worldwide. The success of SimCity also sparked the release of many other spin-off 'Sim' titles, including "The Sims" series.
However, the game launch of SimCity in 2013 by Electronic Arts was plagued by technical and design flaws, including connection errors for many users. The recent release of Sims 4 also has not reportedly performed very well.
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