EA kills Maxis.

[Jodell88]

"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."

http://www.pcgamer.com/electronic-arts-closes-simcity-studio-maxis-emeryville/

 

[shortylickens]

they killed it when they bought it.

Sons of bitches.

 

[JumBie]

I wanted Sim Ant 2, Sim Safari 2, Sim Island 2, Sim Copter 2, The Sims 4 (proper), Sim City 2015 (proper)....give me back the old Maxis and all of its great titles

 

[lupi]

I'd agree with the thread title if you could backdate it a couple years.

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

I really don't understand corporate buyouts and such, so I am sure this will sound like a dumb question.

But - when companies decide they need to sell, don't they have any choice as to who they will sell to? Does it have to be EA? Is there no one else in the industry that's buying?

 

[TeknoBug]

They've killed plenty of companies, Bioware just aren't the same since SWTOR.

 

[Kneedragger]

I wish it was EA instead..

 

[dave_the_nerd]

RIP, Maxis.

 

[Newbian]

I really don't understand corporate buyouts and such, so I am sure this will sound like a dumb question.

But - when companies decide they need to sell, don't they have any choice as to who they will sell to? Does it have to be EA? Is there no one else in the industry that's buying?

The problem is whoever has the most money will get it and they get the most money by ruining your dreams.

 

[Kalmah]

 

[HeXen]

I really don't understand corporate buyouts and such, so I am sure this will sound like a dumb question.

But - when companies decide they need to sell, don't they have any choice as to who they will sell to? Does it have to be EA? Is there no one else in the industry that's buying?

company may not have a choice in who it sells to, sometimes it's a bailout. Many companies are backed by investors.

 

[BlitzPuppet]

 

[clok1966]

But, but, EA makes the top selling FPS that really hasn't changed in 3-4 games, they cant be bad, say it isn't so! EA bought the rights to the NFL so nobody can make a game to compete against Madden, that isn't bad is it? EA made a competing digital download system (nobody seems to remember they already had one and abandoned it way back that they didn't even promote until Steam started raking in the bucks, and stated it was just for the those who couldn't wait for boxed copies) so we can have 2 of the blasted things. EA who had the top exec say (before it was released) SWTOR was a waste of time (he has since been fired) and resources, nice marketing!

EA was a game company at one time and had great, original games, it was also a company second. Now its just a company that makes great game studios die and pushes out a Madden (for non US countries a FIFA game),and a BF title every year while it strips the souls out of old titles by suckering us old players into thinking there may be some shred of the old great games in the remakes.

Dungeon Keeper is a prime example, its so clearly a CASH grab its hated pretty much by everbody.

 

[CuriousMike]

I spent 5 years working at EA Maxis-Emeryville.
Today was my last day - along with all my co-workers.
Lots of lives and families affected today.
Our friendships and successes and struggles will be ours.

Haters are going to hate.

I've been in the video game industry since 1992.
Maxis-Emeryville pushed me harder than I've been pushed.
I worked with the smartest, cleverest, artist-ist people I've ever worked with.
Absolutely supreme talent.

I'll miss them.

 

[Maximilian]

aka my childhood

And yeah I think Maxis has been dead for a long time, as soon as EA bought it showed a little with SC4 and the poor support it received, it really showed with Spore that they lost their touch.

 

[Newbian]

A box of tissues near a computer set up is never a good thing unless this was during the last day.

 

[Zodiark1593]

I spent 5 years working at EA Maxis-Emeryville.
Today was my last day - along with all my co-workers.
Lots of lives and families affected today.
Our friendships and successes and struggles will be ours.

Haters are going to hate.

I've been in the video game industry since 1992.
Maxis-Emeryville pushed me harder than I've been pushed.
I worked with the smartest, cleverest, artist-ist people I've ever worked with.
Absolutely supreme talent.

I'll miss them.

Best of luck there. Hope you strike a great job.

 

[CPA]

I spent 5 years working at EA Maxis-Emeryville.
Today was my last day - along with all my co-workers.
Lots of lives and families affected today.
Our friendships and successes and struggles will be ours.

Haters are going to hate.

I've been in the video game industry since 1992.
Maxis-Emeryville pushed me harder than I've been pushed.
I worked with the smartest, cleverest, artist-ist people I've ever worked with.
Absolutely supreme talent.

I'll miss them.

We all hate to see this happen both from the macro (EA shuttering Maxis) and the micro (folks like you losing your job) side of things. Will you be taking another position within EA?

 

[Smoblikat]

I spent 5 years working at EA Maxis-Emeryville.
Today was my last day - along with all my co-workers.
Lots of lives and families affected today.
Our friendships and successes and struggles will be ours.

Haters are going to hate.

I've been in the video game industry since 1992.
Maxis-Emeryville pushed me harder than I've been pushed.
I worked with the smartest, cleverest, artist-ist people I've ever worked with.
Absolutely supreme talent.

I'll miss them.

Sorry to hear about your job, I hope you find a new one soon.

 

[PliotronX]

they killed it when they bought it.

Sons of bitches.

EA's kiss of death.

 

[Homerboy]

Mega bummer.

CuriousMike, sorry to hear. Hopefully yourself and the other great talent there will find a home sometime soon. With the talent you guys had there, I'm sure something will happen.

That "Victims of EA" graphic makes me sad. So so so many great games and memories just obliterated.

Can not wait for CoD 6!

 

[Homerboy]

** the only thing I will defend EA on is the Madden franchise thing. People always blame them for buying up the license, but it was the NFL that put the license up for sale in the first place. If EA didn't buy it, then they would lose the rights. SOMEBODY was going to end up as the monopoly in that situation... you can thank the NFL for that.

 

[Fallen Kell]

The problem is whoever has the most money will get it and they get the most money by ruining your dreams.

Not always. If it is a publicly traded company, than, yes, usually that will always be the case unless a huge percentage of the shareholders reject the offer. A private company can say to go eat $*** and die.

 

[darkewaffle]

It's one of the Maxis offices being closed, not the entire organization/operation.

Further for all the crap EA gets for Simcity, Simcity 4 (which is pretty widely praised and referenced as "good" compared to the latest release as "bad") was released after EA had already owned Maxis for a good 5+ years. At worst, they're 1-1 on the series.

 

[smackababy]

It's one of the Maxis offices being closed, not the entire organization/operation.

Further for all the crap EA gets for Simcity, Simcity 4 (which is pretty widely praised and referenced as "good" compared to the latest release as "bad") was released after EA had already owned Maxis for a good 5+ years. At worst, they're 1-1 on the series.

The best part is nobody ever mentions all the development studios that closed down that EA didn't buy. Is it really that EA ruins things or that they buy flavor of the week stuff that ends up flaring out under their tutelage?

As far as Maxis is concerned: Spore was crap, SimCity (latest) was okay, but extremely flawed or cut down (perhaps, the cities were supposed to interact a lot more, which was why it should be online?), SimCity 4 was pretty good, but a long time ago. And, they've pumped out the Sims games...

Also, EA purchased Maxis in 1997...