Maxis was founded as a video game developer in 1987. Its initial title was the seminal SimCity, a city simulation and planning game. Since its acquisition in 1997, it is now a brand name of Electronic Arts (EA). Its traditional studio is located in Walnut Creek, California (and before that, Orinda, California), but most of the division's employees were folded into EA's Redwood Shores headquarters in February 2004. Maxis is the creator of the best-selling computer game of all time, The Sims.
The company's name is based on the spelling of the words six AM backwards — a reference to the long nights programmers had to spend to meet deadlines.
Maxis was founded in 1987 by Will Wright and "idea guy" Jeff Braun . They decided to start the company to help publish SimCity on home computers. Up to that point, it was only available on a limited basis on the Commodore 64. Because it wasn't a traditional game that had definite "win" and "lose" conditions, few publishers showed any interest in the game. SimCity went on to become one of the most popular and successful video games of all time. 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 name of Maxis for several years, but in 2004, The Sims 2 and Sim City Rush Hour were labeled only Electronic Arts without the sub-label of Maxis. The name Maxis also seems to be abandoned in the marketing of the former Maxis games.
Most of the Maxis titles are simulation-based, though none are considered traditional simulations. Maxis founder Wright likens them as "digital playgrounds." Maxis' two most popular and successful lines are the SimCity and The Sims series. Maxis has also released games developed by other production houses, such as A-Train, sometimes with less than stellar results.
The SimCity series has since been updated to include SimCity 2000 (1993), SimCity 3000 (1999), and most recently SimCity 4 (2003).
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 the success the original SimCity. Maxis' hit The Sims is the only very notable exception.
Maxis' most successful series to date is The Sims. Released by EA who thought it might be a flop, it has gone on to become the most successful computer game in history. Maxis has developed numerous expansion packs for the game as well as an online version (The Sims Online). Maxis released The Sims 2 in 2004. The sequel title features a full 3D environment as opposed to the original's pseudo-3D isometric engine.
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Maxis is also the short name of Maxis Communications Berhad, a mobile telecommunications company in Malaysia.
Last updated: 05-06-2005 14:20:19
