Maxis home office shut down by EA

In a stunner of a move, The Sims and SimCity developer Maxis has been shuttered by EA.

Around for almost as long as PC gaming has been, Maxis is officially no more as of today with the closure of their Emeryville home office. The company has been decommissioned by parent EA and will no longer be involved in either The Sims or SimCity (or anything else) from here on out. EA confirmed the news, which was leaked by now former employees of Maxis on Twitter, to Polygon this afternoon.

According to the gaming giant, they’ll be “consolidating” Maxis’ properties (like the aforementioned) into their already existing Redwood Shores, Salt Lake City, Helsinki, and Melbourne studios. So basically, don’t expect to see The Sims or SimCity stop production, as sequels and expansion packs will still be very much in the works.

They also add that, while the home studio is dead and gone, employees of Maxis are being given the chance to relocate themselves to the studios mentioned above and other EA workshops. They will also be providing both “separation packages and career assistance” to those seeking to take their leave all together.

Source: Polygon