Products were shipped under the Maxis logo for several years, but in 2004, The Sims 2 only bore the Electronic Arts logo on the box cover (although The Sims 2 displays the Maxis logo at game start, and on the reverse side of the box). Compared to other companies acquired by EA, such as Origin Systems and Westwood Studios, the absorption of Maxis has taken a slower pace, and the company has retained some of its original staff, including Will Wright. Heavy losses and lack of direction led Maxis to begin considering acquisition offers.Įlectronic Arts (EA) completed its acquisition of Maxis on July 28, 1997. They also acquired Cinematronics to create a game called Crucible. However, their new games, including The Crystal Skull and SimCopter, were commercial failures. Other games developed by Maxis, in addition to the SimCity series and Sim- series, include RoboSport (1991), Marble Drop (1997), and Spore (2008).Īfter the immense success of SimCity, Maxis attempted to go into new areas.

Maxis' hit The Sims is the only very notable exception. The success of these franchises varies, but none matched that of the original SimCity. Some of these attempts include SimEarth, SimAnt, SimTower, SimLife, SimIsle and SimFarm. Maxis recently released a reboot of the franchise, SimCity (also called SimCity 2013 to differentiate it from the original), in 2013.Īfter such success with the SimCity series, Maxis tried various other Sim- titles. The SimCity series has since been updated to include SimCity 2000 (1993), SimCity 3000 (1999), SimCity 3000: Unlimited (2000), SimCity 4 (2003) and the non-Maxis developed SimCity Societies (2007). The title went on to become, statistically, one of the most popular and successful video games of all time.

The reason for this is because SimCity wasn't a traditional game that had definite 'win' and 'lose' conditions. Before then, the game was only available on a limited basis on the Commodore 64 due to few publishers showing any interest in porting it. Maxis was founded in 1987 by Will Wright and 'idea guy' Jeff Braun to help publish SimCity on home computers. 2.4.1 The Sims Games Developed at Maxis Salt Lake.2.3.1 The Sims Games Developed at The Sims Studio / Maxis Redwood Shores.2.3 The Sims Studio / Maxis Redwood Shores.2.2.1 The Sims Games Developed at Maxis Emeryville.2.1.1 The Sims Games Developed at Maxis Walnut Creek.2.1 Maxis Walnut Creek (Original Headquarters, closed).Maxis founder Will Wright likens them as 'digital playgrounds.' Maxis has also released games developed by other production houses, such as A-Train, sometimes with less than stellar results. Most of the Maxis titles are simulation-based, though none are considered traditional simulations. The Sims is a major franchise for EA and Maxis, and is currently the most successful PC game franchise of all time, with The Sims 2 recognized as one of the best-selling PC games ever. Maxis is also the creator of The Sims series of video games, starting with The Sims in 2000. Maxis' second software title was the highly influential SimCity, a city simulation and planning game. Maxis focuses on developing casual games for traditional and non-traditional gamers. It was acquired by Electronic Arts (EA) in 1997, and is now one of EA's four major development labels. The current Maxis logo, introduced in 2022ĮA Maxis (formerly Maxis Software, or simply Maxis) is an American company, founded by Will Wright and Jeff Braun in 1987 as an independent video game developer.

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