EA Shutters SimCity's Dev Studio Maxis Emeryville

Electronic Arts has closed down the development studio behind SimCity, Maxis Emeryville, according to a statement from the company. It's a sudden announcement, but one that doesn't end on a negative note for those who enjoy The Sims (it does, however, end poorly for all the workers who have been affected). Says EA, the workers hit by this closure will be given the chance to "explore" positions elsewhere within the company, and that no plans regarding future Sims efforts have changed.

The announcement was made earlier today, and further confirmed in a tweet by SimCity designer Guillaume Pierre, who said that "it was a fun 12 years," but time to move on, ending with a finalized #RIPMaxisEmeryville hashtag. EA was forthright with some details about the business move, saying in a statement to IGN

Today we are consolidating Maxis IP development to our studios in Redwood Shores, Salt Lake City, Helsinki and Melbourne locations as we close our Emeryville location. Maxis continues to support and develop new experiences for current Sims and SimCity players, while expanding our franchises to new platforms and developing new cross-platform IP. 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.

Of course, The Sims 3 and the Sims 4 were the work of a different development studio, and that one appears to be continuing work as normal, not experiencing any changes as a result of the Emeryville shuttering. Check out the timeline below for recent Sims news!

SOURCE: IGN