EA Closes House That Built Sims/SimCity, Maxis Emeryville

EA has confirmed that they have shutdown the original Maxis in Emeryville.

Sims and SimCity games will continue to be made from their studios in Redwood Shores, Salt Lake City, Helsinki and Melbourne, but the studio that did shut down is the progenitor of the Sims franchise.

Will Wright and Jeff Braun founded Maxis in Orinda, California in 1987, and moved it to Walnut Creek, California in 1994. A decade and an acquisition from EA later, they moved to Redwood City, home of EA, a year later.

SimCity was the developer’s core franchise, leading to multiple sequels and spinoffs. They launched their second flaghsip, the Sims, in 2000. Spore from 2008 is their 3rd most famous IP, but this franchise has not held up due to its low difficulty, and controversy surrounding its SecuROM system.