14 DAY TRIAL // Despite the negative reaction from the fan base, the team working on Sim City at developer Maxis and publisher Electronic Arts believes that the always-on nature of the game allows them to create a multiplayer experience that will change the way players look at city building sims.
Jason Haber, a producer at Maxis working on the new Sim Ciy, told Eurogamer that, “From the ground up it's been a multiplayer game. I'm not surprised we're getting some reaction like this. But I think once people see it in action - and at E3 we're really looking forward to showing people multiplayer and how it works - hopefully that will show them why it's such a great feature and it's totally worth having.”
The developer believes that even those who are not excited about the always-on element will see how it makes the gamer better once it is launched.
Haber added, “The thing that's important for people to know is it really was driven by us as the dev team. We feel it's a core feature to the game. It really makes the game richer. People have their conspiracy theories over why we're doing it. But really, it's honest that the dev team feels like it really does add a lot to the game, and it's totally worth doing for that.”
The developers also say that the always-on decision is not linked to combating piracy in any way and is included only in order to enhance the player experience.
Sim City will be launched exclusively on the PC at first and the game will offer no option for completely offline play, something that has a tendency to infuriate fans who love the platform.
The multiplayer of Sim City will allow different cities to interact with one another and exchange services and goods.
Full details will be offered at this year’s E3 trade event.