Electronic Arts Closes Down Maxis Offices in Emeryville

[PhilSynowiec]

It's a sad day in the gaming industry. Electronic Arts announced on Wednesday that it would be shutting down the Maxis offices in Emeryville.

The offices were home to the city-building game SimCity, along with The Sims and other "Sim" franchises. Although Maxis' offices have been closed down, EA states that development on The Sims and SimCity will continue, with an expansion for The Sims 4 coming shorty.

Via EA:

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.

Meanwhile, Maxis employees in Emeryville will be given "opportunities to explore other positions within the Maxis studios and throughout EA.".

SimCity was originally released in 1989, where it instantly became a huge hit on the Mac and Commodore Amiga. Since then, Maxis' games have been ported to many different devices, including iPhone and iPad.