'SimCity' launches to critical acclaim and crippling server problems
After a first wave of highly favorable reviews, EA's long-awaited SimCity proved unable to handle the load of players at launch, leaving them unable to connect. Though the company quickly began upgrading its servers, persistent problems led EA to disable "non-critical" gameplay features and briefly stop promoting SimCity altogether.
Why 'SimCity' has no parking lots, and other insights from the lead designer
"Our game was going to be really boring if it was proportional in terms of parking lots," SimCity lead designer Stone Librande says of his decision to simply pretend the game's parking is underground. It's one of many decisions Librande and his team had to make when building their world simulation — adding some details created fascinating emergent phenomena like in-game traffic jams, but other things, like food supply chains, just wouldn't fit. At The Atlantic, Geoff Manaugh and Nicola...
Original 'SimCity' creator Will Wright calls EA's botched game launch 'inexcusable'
EA has been roundly thrashed for the rocky launch of SimCity, and Will Wright — who designed the original SimCity title and co-founded studio Maxis before leaving for other projects — says the company should have seen it coming. Wright told GamesIndustry International that the new SimCity was "a good game; I enjoy playing it a lot." But he expressed sympathy for the team, saying "I could have predicted — I kind of did predict there'd be a big backlash about the DRM stuff." He has...
'SimCity' for Mac available starting on June 11th
Hoping that it can put the launch issues of the PC version behind it, EA has announced the availability of SimCity for Mac. The company says that from June 11th, you'll will be able to purchase a copy of SimCity on its Origin games distribution platform and receive a copy playable on both the Mac and PC. That means if you have already purchased the PC version, you'll now be able to download it and play on the Mac for no extra charge.
EA CEO John Riccitiello stepping down on March 30th
EA CEO John Riccitiello is stepping down from the video game giant as of March 30th, the company announced today. His departure comes at a time when EA is struggling with public perception over the troubled launch of SimCity, but the company also simultaneously announced that the game has sold more than one million copies since launching two weeks ago.
The circumstances surrounding Riccitiello's departure aren't clear yet; EA's press release indicates that both the former CEO and...
EA limits 'SimCity' free game apology offer, but includes major titles
Electronic Arts has announced the titles that it will offer SimCity owners for free as an apology for the server issues that plagued the game's launch and left it often unplayable. The company is offering a choice between eight titles: Battlefield 3, Bejeweled 3, Dead Space 3, Mass Effect 3, Medal of Honor Warfighter, Need for Speed Most Wanted, Plants vs. Zombies, and SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition. The list is certainly whittled down from the original stipulation-free offer of a "game from the...
EA finishes 'SimCity' server upgrades after troubled launch
EA and Maxis have completed a series of server upgrades that will hopefully solve the ongoing connection problems with SimCity. In a blog post, Maxis' Barrie Tingle said that the team had migrated all the original servers to "faster/higher capacity server architecture." A dedicated page listing the status of each server was also launched yesterday; while there were some lingering problems at that point, the page now shows an all-clear, albeit at a low-stress time. In addition to the server...
EA offering free game as apology for 'SimCity' issues
Electronic Arts' launch of the new SimCity game has been plagued by server issues, resulting in everything from features being taken offline to EA calling off some of its promotional efforts for the game. The company hopes to make up for it, however, by offering a free game to users. In a blog post tonight, Maxis' Lucy Bradshaw apologized for the problems, admitting that the game's developers simply underestimated the number of people that would sign online to play the title. "A lot more...
'SimCity' marketing campaign put on hold, EA requests that affiliates do the same
Electronic Arts has faced a number of problems with the latest SimCity since launching the title, and the ongoing issues have now led the company to call off some of its online marketing — and it's asking affiliates to do the same. Polygon reports that EA has sent an email out to members of EA Origin's LinkShare program, informing them that it has "deactivated all SimCity text links and creative," and is requesting that members of the program do so as well. EA will still pay commissions to...
Amazon suspends 'SimCity' digital orders as customer complaints surge (update)
Amazon has temporarily stopped offering digital purchases of SimCity, a move that's no doubt related to server-side issues which have plagued the game since its launch early this week. EA says it's working around the clock to patch up those problems, but in the meantime Amazon has cut off digital orders. The online retailer is still selling the boxed version of SimCity, however. But potential buyers of the physical copy are also being warned about SimCity's ongoing troubles. "Many customers...
EA disabling 'non-critical' features and adding more servers to address ongoing 'SimCity' connection issues
While the latest SimCity launched to critical acclaim earlier this week, the game's online-only requirement has led to a rather frustrating launch window, plagued by delays thanks to the heavy load on EA's Origin servers. Now, EA is taking some steps to help get the game up to speed — the company announced that it will be deploying more servers over the next two days to help meet the demand. This announcement comes after the game launched in Australia and New Zealand — again with c...
Playing god and mayor with the first 'SimCity' game in a decade
From what I can tell, SimCity was part of every child’s life but mine. I ran through a little SimCity 2000 on a neighbor’s Macintosh, but I never got a feel for the game; my memories are mostly of the intense stress of seeing my cities flail and crumble as citizens complained.
So while most people seem to have an intensely nostalgic reaction to the series, I approached it with something closer to trepidation. When I got a chance to try out the first new SimCity produced in almost a...
'SimCity' beta happening next weekend, lets players try the game for one hour
Ahead of the highly-anticipated SimCity launch on March 5th, EA and Maxis have announced that users can beta test the game from Friday, January 25th through Monday, January 28th. Interested players can register for the beta now — but unfortunately, the beta test is limited to a one-hour sample, and it's also worth noting this is for PC users only. It's a bit of a tease, but at least gamers won't have to wait much longer for the full version. If you want to get your one-hour taste of S...
'SimCity' reboot set to launch on March 5th in the US, March 8th in Europe
It's been months since EA first announced a reboot for the SimCity franchise, but we finally know when the game will launch: the official SimCity Twitter account says the game will be available on March 5th in the US and March 8th in Europe. We already knew the game was scheduled to come early next year, though it seems the game has slipped a bit from the February launch window that we heard about back in August. The game will be noteworthy for running in the new Glassbox engine, which...
