June 7, 2007

EA, Tilted Mill To Create SimCity Societies

Electronic Arts has confirmed, via a Games For Windows magazine cover, that major Maxis franchise SimCity will be getting a new version, named SimCity Societies, to be handled by Caesar IV developer Tilted Mill Entertainment.



According to a new report by consumer website 1UP citing the cover story in the July issue of the (also Ziff Davis-published) Games for Windows magazine, the upcoming fifth game in the series will abandon the franchise's naming conventions by adopting the title SimCity Societies.

According to the report, the game will feature a new take on the established and popular series when it debuts for the PC this winter - believed to involve a greater concentration on human interaction within the cities of the title, rather than concentrating solely on city-building itself.

Following the announcement, the shift in developers has resulted in a volatile response from the player community, with Tilted Mill's own president and director of development Chris Beatrice issuing an official response in a thread on the company's forums:

"...I do not want to mislead anyone: This SimCity is not a realistic urban simulation, which I understand, to many, represents the heart of what SC is," he said. "No one is blind to that. And if you're just completely turned off, even angered by the mere notion of any game called 'SimCity' that is not a detailed, realistic urban simulator, I absolutely understand that viewpoint, and absolutely respect it."

"I do want to say, though (with no insult intended to die hard SC fans)," he adds, "that we are absolutely thrilled to be a part of this venerable series, are extremely proud of what we have put together, and make no apologies about what we have managed to create. And while our past experiences (including contributions from many of you) certainly inform all our ongoing efforts, this SC is its own unique creation."

Tilted Mill, which is based in Framingham, MA, was formed in 2002 by veterans of strategy developer Impressions, and has since developed PC strategy titles including Immortal Cities: Children Of The Nile for Myelin Media/Sega, and Caesar IV for Vivendi.

[UPDATE: Tilted Mill's Beatrice has made a more in-depth post to his website's official forums, explaining that, while he cannot comment in detail pending events likely to include Electronic Arts' official announcement of the game, he can say the following:

"I must make it crystal clear that, like all SimCity games, this game is a city-building game. It is a city-building simulation. It is a city simulation. It is an urban simulation game. It is a game in which you build cities. Its focus is not on realism and detail (but that's not to say it lacks those things either)."]

POSTED: 10.01AM PST, 06/07/07 - Jason Dobson

June 12, 2007

EA Details SimCity Societies

Electronic Arts has officially announced the next title in the company's long running Sim City PC franchise, SimCity Societies, detailing the title's recently announced shift in focus, which aims to let players create “a variety of cities with the unique societies they desire.”

The game, which was previously confirmed via a Games For Windows magazine cover and is expected to ship this November, represents a major shift for the popular world building franchise, with the title being handled by Caesar IV developer Tilted Mill Entertainment instead of series creators Maxis. EA notes that since its inception in 1989, the series has sold more than 17 million games worldwide.

Among the new features being introduced in SimCity Societies is an interesting focus on creating cultures, societal behaviors and environments on top of the routine day to day management of the virtual metropolis. To help manage this social aspect, the game includes new resources called “social energies,” which can be mixed and matched to determine “the social energy of your city.”

Of course, the city building is also expected to play a key role in the gameplay as well, with EA noting that SimCity Societies will include more than 350 building types, each of which can be combined, connect and re-arranged freely.

Rod Humble, VP and studio head of EA's The Sims Division, describes the game as “the most flexible city building game ever,” stating that “sometimes I build an aggressive police state where stragglers are dragged off to re-conditioning centers and emerge ready for work. Other times, I build a green community in the tropics, where the citizens grow their own food and have a small environmental footprint.”

Even so, as previously reported, the turn for the franchise has not come without some measure of growing pains, including complaints from the player community on a variety of community forums, including those of Tilted Mill itself, to which own president and director of development Chris Beatrice defended the game by calling it “its own unique creation” while admitting that it is “not [focused] on realism and detail.”

POSTED: 09.13AM PST, 06/12/07 - Jason Dobson

to be handled by Caesar IV developer Tilted Mill Entertainment.