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EA Closes Maxis Emeryville Studio (Spore/SimCity),[other Maxis branches staying open]

Clear

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
Rentahamster said:
She still made a lot of decisions that doomed the game.
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Maybe so, but I can only call it as I saw it. I've been in plenty of creative meetings over the years with high-powered execs, and she was among the very best at listening, directing, and generally managing the flow of discussion. I appreciate that might not sound like much but when you're pitching ideas and generally brainstorming with a person who's rank basically gives them absolute veto, it can be difficult and unproductive if they have a certain vision they wish to impose but basically wont/cant state directly. Lucy made it easy, and I think we all felt like we got stuff done.
 
M

mnannola

Member
Sucks for all involved, but how much can EA really be blamed for Spore or Sim City? Seemed like poor design and programming is what doomed those games.

Did EA come tell Maxis that they wanted a really small city size for Sim City? I doubt it. The always online thing..maybe. I'm not convinced that wasn't another poor decision by Maxis.

I do hope everyone lands on their feet, but the writing was on the wall after the 1-2 punch of Spore and Sim City.
 
I

inky

Member
Nokterian said:
Jim Sterling predicted this.

https://twitter.com/jimsterling/status/501450244857794560
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Everyone did:

2602193-9874855801-24538.jpg


That's the EA way.
 
N

Nibiru

Banned
I know the Maxis guys insist that all of the bad decisions were their own I just don't believe it. The "always online" was the big wigs idea and although they probably didn't insist on it they might have put the fear into them about piracy and that always online would prevent it. "Always online" doomed the game because they designed around it and to justify it as more than an anti-piracy measure they went with multiplayer which limited city sizes. So many mistakes came from the the "always online."

Sometimes it's best to buck the big wigs trying to control your project and fight for your vision and what the community wants.

Success is all that matters with these companies. Even if you "could" get in shit for not doing what you are told, you will definitely lose your job when the project doesn't go well. Conversely if you stick to your guns and don't compromise and the project is a success then all of your insubordination will be forgiven.
 
N

Nabbis

Member
Devilgunman said:
I'm not being ignorant. My statement was based on information we have on hand, not theories.
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Everyone knows how a business works. Though i doubt you graced us with your presence in order to educate us. Corporate apologists are getting old.

Seems rather classy of EA to fire the devs as opposed to the jackasses who were the masterminds of the shit that lead to this products failure. That's some good business sense there. /s
 
R

RP912

Banned
Smh fuck.....


just a damn shame. I was one of the few that actually enjoyed Simcity 5 and Spore was ok. Sad news.
 
T

TheSlySoul

Member
Apparently they are consolidated the other Maxis developers into new companies, so curious if they will keep the Maxis name or not.
 
S

Slacker

Member
jamesinclair said:
Wasnt The Sims 4 extremely criticized for gutting out standard features that have been in the series for years so they can be added back in expansion packs?

And didnt they completely eliminate the neighborhood concept, essentially taking the game back to 1998?

Greed and laziness = failure.
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Their pricing hurt them too, in my opinion. Sims 4 had a few things that interested me, but seeing the reviews point out all that's missing, I couldn't justify paying 60 bucks for it. I can pay $30 for a game I know will need expansions. $60 is just too much for what they're offering. Same goes for SimCity.
 
M

Mael

Member
Gotta love EA, they keep fucking up and closing the only part of their studios I give a shit about.
So long Maxis, nice knowing you.
 
N

Nanashrew

Banned
I agree with those saying that Criterion could be next on the chopping block. If not closed down, then they'll only be used in name as a brand to draw people in much like how they did with Maxis.

Criterion was seriously gutted after the founders left, leaving about 20 employees at that time. Ghost Games is also not in a very good position either right now with EA saying they have ‘entered a consultation period for some positions in our Ghost Games U.K. studio’.
 
Gamezone

Gamezone

Gold Member
PC exclusive developers, and the consumers didn`t allow always online DRM. EA didn`t get their way. Not shocked at all.
 
S

spekkeh

Banned
Missed opportunity. They could've just renamed it Bioware Emeryville, and then everyone would've magically loved the studio again.
 
T

The Real Abed

Perma-Junior
Maxis was dead for years already. And after SimCity and Sims 4 it was clear EA was the one in charge now. You'd think after Microsoft bought and completely dismembered Rare that companies would think twice about selling themselves to other big companies. Especially when they have such good stuff to lose.

Let's hope Notch made the right decision when he sold Mojang to Microsoft to save his sanity.

Rest in peace, whatever was left of Maxis. You're roaming the vast llama fields of heaven now.
 
T

TedNindo

Member
Another of my childhood favourite PC studios gone. At this point almost all of them are dead or husks. Hurts every time.
 
meanspartan

meanspartan

Member
ItsTheNew said:
It's always funny when these websites say getting canned or laid off is "gross". It's a business. People get fired or laid off. The timing for these things is never good and of course they are going to use corporate jargon vs saying "we shit canned 100 employees, bye"
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This is gross because EA made them do things that lead to predictable failure.
 
T

trinest

Member
jamesinclair said:
Wasnt The Sims 4 extremely criticized for gutting out standard features that have been in the series for years so they can be added back in expansion packs?

And didnt they completely eliminate the neighborhood concept, essentially taking the game back to 1998?

Greed and laziness = failure.
Click to expand...

The neighborhood concept is a mixture of the original style and the Sims 3 one. I wouldn't say its eliminated, maybe nerfed if you wanted the series to go in that way but overall its not a majorly bad thing. The Sims isn't dependent on needing a large map like Sim City, the game is fine with a village.

I have to say the best thing about The Sims 4 is how it runs technically. Sim City was a disaster, it was bloated it was everything wrong with everything. But Sims 4 technical wise runs amazing.

Plus the pools have been added back in a long time ago and didn't need a expansion pack for it, it was just an update. Yes I know its missing much more, but that was one of the bigger ones people complained about.

Overall I hated Sims 4 before launch but playing it when I bought it at launch I could see it building to a better game then Sims 3 in if they bring back the stuff they removed and released some solid DLC.

Though my question so far is more on the expansion packs pricing structure compaired to content. Yes they offer some changes but overall the camping one for example felt pretty basic.
 
A

Almighty

Member
McNum said:
Pretty much yeah. I did the OT for Sims 4... and well... yeah. Lots of stuff were missing at launch. They added some of them, like pools and ghosts, but, well...

Coming soon! Doctor, Police, and Science careers for $29.99!

And the most awesome feature of Sims 3, the fact that your neighbors lived their own lives and you didn't end up with a ghost town or had to play everyone? Gone. Enjoy your world with 19 empty houses and your own.

I wanted to like Sims 4, I really did. But I'm back to Sims 3, even with its godawful load times on startup.
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That sucks to hear. I mean it is what I was expecting to happen, but people seemed pretty happy with the game in the month or so after it came out(that is when i stop following it) that I had some hope i was wrong.

and here I thought EA's running studios into the ground was a thing of the past. A whole bunch of executives need to get shit canned if they managed to destroy a franchise as big as the Sims is/was.

Take note future studios if EA offers to buy your company run the other way. Unless you don't give a shit about its long term survival and just want a quick cash out.
 
meanspartan

meanspartan

Member
jamesinclair said:
Wasnt The Sims 4 extremely criticized for gutting out standard features that have been in the series for years so they can be added back in expansion packs?

And didnt they completely eliminate the neighborhood concept, essentially taking the game back to 1998?

Greed and laziness = failure.
Click to expand...

EA keeps killing its own franchises.

I am still pissed they got their scummy hands on Battlefront. I hope dice doesnt fuck it up
...
 
Mengy

Mengy

wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
Neverism said:
We'll be fine, especially once she is back in my arms! And yes, BossKey is hiring! Any Maxis peeps please check out our website and apply for a position if you see one that interests you! (also, Raleigh is lovely and cost of living is amazing - Pay a reduced cost to be the Boss!)

Unfortunately, my Wife has been soured by this experience and will probably be leaving the game industry for something a bit more stable. Sucks but that is how the cookie crumbles.

It'll be okay :)
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Tell your wife thanks for all of her hard work at Maxis. I didn't like SC5 at all but I love and adore SC4, and I'm sad to see Maxis go the way of so many other EA development studios. :(
 
meanspartan

meanspartan

Member
The Real Abed said:
Maxis was dead for years already. And after SimCity and Sims 4 it was clear EA was the one in charge now. You'd think after Microsoft bought and completely dismembered Rare that companies would think twice about selling themselves to other big companies. Especially when they have such good stuff to lose.

Let's hope Notch made the right decision when he sold Mojang to Microsoft to save his sanity.

Rest in peace, whatever was left of Maxis. You're roaming the vast llama fields of heaven now.
Click to expand...

Why the fuck do big corps buy successful studios only to kill them by changing what made them good? So dumb.
 
S

Sinatar

Official GAF Bottom Feeder
Maxis was dead the moment Will Wright left. Will Wright was the heart and soul of that team. It's been a shambling facsimile since then.
 
M

megalowho

Member
Recent history under EA aside, I'm just sad at the passing of another 90's PC giant. So many formative memories thanks to Maxis. Even when the studio was no longer Will Wright's idea factory, the spirit and history was likely still there. Hate to see shortsighted decisions from management ripple out like this, hope the talented folks there find some creative freedom and better opportunities once the dust settles.
 
D

Datschge

Member
silvermember said:
Said no one after the spore.
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Just to be clear, the "They were innovating too much." was a statement a superior (in this case EA Mobile head Frank Gibeau, but I'm sure he's replaceable as well) made about the mobile revival of "Dungeon Keeper" which got its developer Mythic Entertainment closed afterward. Having developer implement shitty dubious business practices and then shutting them down if not being successful at that is business as usual at EA.
 
J

jgwhiteus

Member
gogosox82 said:
Sad but the writing was on the wall when SimCity came out. How many studios has EA done this to now? 4?5?
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Ha, Kotaku just ran a piece on all the studios EA has acquired and then later shut down (it's 11):

http://kotaku.com/an-updated-list-of-studios-ea-has-bought-and-then-shut-1689498614

Maxis (SimCity) - Purchased by EA in 1997; shut down in 2015. [Though EA says the "Maxis" brand will live on, the studio is officially no more.]

Mythic (Dark Age of Camelot) - Purchased by EA in 2006; shut down in 2014.

Bullfrog (Syndicate, Dungeon Keeper) - Purchased by EA in 1995; shut down in 2001.

Origin (Ultima, Wing Commander) - Purchased by EA in 1992; shut down in 2004.

Westwood (Command & Conquer) - Purchased by EA in 1998; shut down in 2003.

DreamWorks Interactive/Danger Close/EA Los Angeles (Medal of Honor) - Purchased by EA in 2000; shut down in 2013.

Phenomic (SpellForce, BattleForge) - Purchased by EA in 2006; shut down in 2013.

Black Box Games (Need for Speed, Skate) - Purchased by EA in 2002; shut down in 2013.

Pandemic (The Saboteur) - Purchased by EA in 2008; shut down in 2009.

PlayFish (The Sims Social) - Purchased by EA in 2009; shut down in 2013.

NuFX (NBA Street) - Purchased by EA in 2004; shut down in 2007.
Click to expand...
 
Hari Seldon

Hari Seldon

Member
Both Sim City and Sims 4 were extremely scaled back from their predecessors. Why? My feeling is that they were chasing the mobile dragon. Instead of making two distinct games for each franchise, they made 1 shitty game that works on neither. There are still a shit ton of Sims players playing Sims, but they are playing Sims 3. Literally all Sims 4 had to be was Sims 3 with an upgraded modern multiprocessor engine using 64-bits and it would have ran fine and sold gangbusters. Sims 4 is clearly a game that was fucked up at the business (EA) level.
 
J

Jotamide

Unconfirmed Member
Had DA3 flopped, Bioware would have been axed first IMO. Very sad regardless.
 
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