Maxis
Maxis is also the short name of Maxis Communications Berhad, a mobile telecommunications company in Malaysia.Maxis Software is an
American company that was founded as a
video game developer and is now a brand name of
Electronic Arts (EA). Its initial software title was the seminal
SimCity, a city simulation and planning
game. Maxis is also the creator of the best-selling computer game of all time,
The Sims and its sequel
The Sims 2 These three titles and their related products are the brand's most popular and successful lines.
Most of the Maxis titles are simulation-based, though none are considered traditional simulations. Maxis founder Will Wright likens them as "digital playgrounds." Maxis has also released games developed by other production houses, such as
A-Train, sometimes with less than stellar results.
Contrary to popular myth, the company's name was not based on the words "six AM" spelled backwards. Rather, it was derived from a formula suggested by Jeff Braun's father: computer game companies should have two-syllable names and should include an 'x'. It was noted later that the name is "six AM" backwards.
Origin and early acclaim
Maxis was founded in
1987 by
Will Wright and "idea guy"
Jeff Braun to help publish
SimCity on home computers. Before then, the game was only available on a limited basis on the
Commodore 64 due to few
publishers showing any interest in
porting it. The reason for this is because
SimCity wasn't a traditional game that had definite "win" and "lose" conditions. The title went on to become, statistically, one of the most popular and successful video games of all time.
The
SimCity series has since been updated to include
SimCity 2000 (
1993),
SimCity 3000 (
1999),
SimCity 3000: Unlimited (
2000), and most recently
SimCity 4 (
2003). It also released some non-sim titles, such as
1991's RoboSport.
After such success with the
SimCity series, Maxis tried various other
Sim- titles. Some of these attempts include
SimEarth,
SimAnt,
SimTower,
SimLife, and
SimFarm. The success of these franchises varies, but none matched that of the original
SimCity. Maxis' hit
The Sims is the only very notable exception.
Decline
After the immense success of
SimCity, Maxis attempted to go into new areas. However, their new games, including
The Crystal Skull and
SimCopter, were commercial failures. They also acquired
Cinematronics to create a game called
Crucible. Heavy losses and lack of direction led Maxis to begin considering acquisition offers.
Acquisition by EA
Electronic Arts (EA) completed its acquisition of Maxis on
July 28,
1997. Compared to other companies acquired by EA, such as
Origin Systems and
Westwood Studios, the absorption of Maxis has taken a slower pace, and the company has retained some of its original staff, including Will Wright. Products were shipped under the Maxis logo for several years, but in
2004,
The Sims 2 only bore the Electronic Arts logo on the box cover (although
Sims 2 displays the Maxis logo at game start, and on the reverse side of the box). The name Maxis also appears to be abandoned in the marketing of the former Maxis games.
For many years, Maxis was a traditional studio located in
Walnut Creek, California (and before that,
Orinda, California), but in February
2004 the division was finally folded into EA's
Redwood Shores headquarters.
Will Wright's studio (currently developing
Spore) is located in
Emeryville, California.
The Sims
Maxis' most successful series to date is
The Sims (
2000). Released despite concern from Electronic Arts that it would be a commercial failure, it has gone on to become the most successful computer game in history. Maxis has developed seven
expansion packs for the game as well as an online version (
The Sims Online). Maxis released
The Sims 2 in
2004, a sequel title that features a full
3D environment as opposed to the original's pseudo-3D
dimetric engine.
*
Computer software*
List of Sim games*
The official Maxis website*
Maxis at
MobyGames*
List of Maxis' Sim- series at MobyGames
*
SIMply Divine: The story of Maxis Software, circa
2000, on
GameSpot.
