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Reticulating splines: Maxis hit with layoffs photo

Shacknews brings even more bad news today as a series of layoffs have hit Maxis, the developers of Spore, The Sims and other Sim titles. Electronic Arts told Shacknews that:

"Often in the video game industry, the size of a studio fluctuates in response to business conditions. In this case, EA has taken action to reduce the workforce at Maxis as we focus the business and focus Maxis."

EA would not say how many people have been laid off, but Shack reports that there was a “sizable exodus” from Maxis.

As of late, there's been a rash of layoffs going around after the games were released. In this case, Maxis is still working on Spore Hero for the Wii and Spore Hero Arena for the DS, both of which should be out later this year.


Continue: More The Sims stories





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16 comments | showing # 1 to 16

NihonTiger90's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/26/2009 21:00
NihonTiger90
It makes me sad, though Maxis is not Maxis without Will Wright around.
Magnalon's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/26/2009 21:15
Magnalon
HAMZA, you just hit me with a nostalgia nuke. I used to play Sim City 2000 daily for like five months.

MAN, this blows.
Jon B's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/26/2009 21:20
Jon B
Brb, installing Sim City 4 again.
God, I love that game.
ceark's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/26/2009 21:24
ceark
great. now with they're staff laid off they'll probably never fix that bug ridden sims 3 crap to run properly on my computer.
CelicaCrazed's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/26/2009 21:30
CelicaCrazed
EA: contributing to unemployment and the lack of cross-game voice chat (and universal in-game music!!) on the PS3.

T_T
Im OK's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/26/2009 21:37
Im OK
I am surprised that Maxis has survived for as long as it has, honestly, given EA's track record.
D Sane's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/26/2009 22:20
D Sane
sad news for Maxis, but BEST POST TITLE EVER!
Pangloss's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/26/2009 22:32
Pangloss
What did "Reticulating Splines" even fucking mean? I never understood that, in all my days of playing Maxis games.
runtheplacered's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/26/2009 23:03
runtheplacered
@ pangloss,

It was first mentioned in Simcity 2000. I'm not sure if you don't know what splines are or what reticulation means, but either way if you really want to know, you can look it up. But it means to make a network of splines.
Mr Jonson's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/26/2009 23:14
Mr Jonson
now who will reticulate the splines?
Retrofraction's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/26/2009 23:26
Retrofraction
DRM = layoff
GLORNS's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2009 01:12
GLORNS
I am one part hating EA always... and one part thinking MAXIS died when EA got it's hands on it in the first place.
JustLikeBuck's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2009 04:04
JustLikeBuck
Wow... The Sims is EAs biggest earner... what possible reason could they have for the layoffs? Perhaps releasing a new version with graphical updates at the expense of content (to be re-introduced at a later date and cost, of course) every could of years is finally starting to piss off the simple gamers who've been their bread and butter all these years?
jaygerbomb's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2009 06:17
jaygerbomb
@JustLikeBuck:

True, but Maxis didn't develop The Sims 3, that was done by another studio. And even so, it's selling well. I think it's more along the lines that Spore hasn't turned out to be the cash cow like the Sims EA thought it would be.
Zantetsuken's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2009 06:37
Zantetsuken
I agree with GLORNS, Maxis died the day EA got hold of it with its grubby mitts. EA are responsible for Spore sucking.
rel123's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/27/2009 11:48
rel123
I miss Simcity. Why can't they just keep doing that? Fuck 'casual'. I don't want 'casual'. I want Simcity 5, not some stupid Simcity Societies garbage (made by a different studio just using the name).
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