Maxis is an American company that makes video games. It is part of a larger company called Electronic Arts, or EA. Maxis was started in 1987 by two people named Will Wright and Jeff Braun. In 1997, Electronic Arts bought Maxis. Maxis is most famous for creating simulation games. Some of these games are The Sims, Spore, and SimCity.
History
Maxis was created in 1987 by Will Wright and Jeff Braun to help release SimCity on home computers. Before this, the game was only available on the Commodore 64 because few companies wanted to make a game that did not have clear "win" or "lose" conditions. SimCity became one of the most popular video games ever. The SimCity series became a main product for Maxis, leading to many follow-up games. Jeff Braun wanted the company name to be 5-7 letters, not mean anything, be easy to remember, and include an x, z, or q. The name "Maxis" was suggested by Braun’s father. After SimCity 2000’s success, Maxis moved its headquarters from Orinda, California, to Walnut Creek in 1994.
One unexpected result of SimCity’s success was the idea of using game-like systems to model real-world situations, such as urban planning. Around 1992, Maxis was asked by companies and government groups to use SimCity’s simulation methods for non-game purposes. To help with this, Maxis bought Delta Logic and its owner, John Hiles, and renamed the division Maxis Business Simulations (MBS). Projects under MBS included SimRefinery for Chevron and SimHealth for the Markle Foundation. In 1994, MBS became its own company, Thinking Tools Inc., but it closed in 1998. Most records about MBS and Thinking Tools were destroyed by employees after the closure.
During the 1990s, Maxis released many games, including some that were not simulations, such as RoboSport (1991) and 3D Pinball for Windows (1995). These games were not as successful as SimCity. On June 1, 1995, Maxis became a public company. However, financial losses and unclear goals led Maxis to consider being bought by another company.
In 1997, Maxis agreed to be acquired by Electronic Arts in a stock swap worth $125 million. Maxis said the deal would help it use Electronic Arts’ strong distribution network. The acquisition was completed on July 28, 1997, and caused major changes. Jeff Braun left the company and received money from the sale. Nearly half of Maxis’ staff were laid off.
In 1998, Maxis finished SimCity 3000 on its own. Will Wright then focused on The Sims, a game that many thought would not appeal to the typical video game audience. Electronic Arts supported the project because of its potential for future expansions. In 2000, Maxis South in Austin, Texas, closed. The Sims was released in February 2000 and became a major success. It remained a key focus for Maxis until 2006. SimCity 4 was released in 2003, the first game in the series to use true 3D, and the first where Will Wright was not directly involved. In 2004, Maxis’ Walnut Creek studios closed, and staff moved to Electronic Arts offices in Redwood City and Emeryville.
As The Sims continued to succeed, Will Wright worked on Spore. The long time between its announcement and release led some to call it "vaporware." When Spore was released in 2008, it faced criticism and a consumer protest. Despite this, it sold 1 million copies in its first month.
Will Wright left Maxis in 2009, and Maxis later released the poorly received game Darkspore in 2011. Maxis.com redirected to the Spore website and later to The Sims website. At the 2012 Game Developers Conference, Electronic Arts announced a new SimCity and a new Maxis brand logo. Maxis became one of four main labels under Electronic Arts, replacing the "EA Play" brand. A mobile-focused Maxis studio opened in Helsinki in 2012. The Sims continued to be developed, and Maxis branding returned in 2013 with The Sims 3: University Life and SimCity.
While Maxis focused on improving graphics for the SimCity reboot, Electronic Arts wanted the game to be multiplayer and always-online to reduce piracy. The game had a very poor launch, with many technical problems and server failures. Maxis fixed some issues, but the game remained buggy even after a year. The SimCity reboot ended the franchise and marked the last game developed by Maxis’ main team in Emeryville.
After the SimCity launch, Maxis faced layoffs and studio closures, which continued into the late 2010s. In 2014, the Maxis group in Salt Lake City was dissolved, and some staff moved to Redwood Shores. Maxis’ main studio in Emeryville closed in 2015, leaving only a smaller team in Redwood Shores and a new mobile studio in Helsinki.
In September 2015, Electronic Arts announced that Maxis would work with the EA Mobile division under Samantha Ryan. Most Maxis games would still be available on personal computers. In 2016, Maxis was reorganized under EA Worldwide Studios, and the Salt Lake City office closed in 2017. Redwood Shores faced more layoffs in 2018, including 15-20 Maxis employees. Development of The Sims Mobile moved to Firemonkeys in 2019, leaving continued support for The Sims 4 as the only Maxis project.
The closure of Emeryville, Maxis’ long-standing main location, was seen as the end of the company as it was known before. In 2019 and 2021, Electronic Arts announced new Maxis studios in Texas and Europe, though these were only shared through job postings. The Texas studio was based in Austin and focused on a new game, while the European team supported The Sims 4 remotely.
In 2021, Electronic Arts confirmed its long-term support for The Sims 4, reflecting a broader industry trend of focusing on community engagement.
Notable games
Maxis is known for creating creative simulation games that do not have a specific goal for players, allowing them to enjoy the games for a very long time.
SimCity, released in 1989, was Maxis' first major game. In this game, players act as mayors who can build a city from a small village to a large, successful metropolis. Players place different areas, manage public services, and help the city's economy grow. The SimCity series includes six main games (SimCity, SimCity 2000, SimCity 3000, SimCity 4, SimCity Societies, and SimCity) and three spin-offs: Sim City: The Card Game, SimCopter, and Streets of SimCity. SimCity Societies, the fifth main game, was developed by Tilted Mill Entertainment, not Maxis. It was described as a "social engineering simulator" and criticized for not following the traditional SimCity style. In 2013, Maxis Emeryville released a new version of SimCity, which received mixed reviews because of technical problems related to its requirement for online connectivity. TrackTwenty (formerly Maxis Helsinki) created SimCity: BuildIt in 2014.
The most successful series made by Maxis and one of the best-selling PC games ever is The Sims (2000). Maxis developed seven expansion packs for The Sims, as well as an online version called The Sims Online. The Sims 2, released in 2004, is a sequel that uses a full 3D environment instead of the original's dimetric engine. From 2006 to 2013, The Sims games and expansion packs were developed by The Sims Studio, and the Maxis logo did not appear on game covers until 2013 with the release of The Sims 3: University Life. On May 6, 2013, it was announced that Maxis would create The Sims 4, which was released internationally in September 2014. Maxis also developed The Sims Mobile until the project was handed over to Firemonkeys in February 2019.
Spore was released in September 2008. Players begin by creating a species at the single-cell level and develop it into life that can think and feel. The goal is to eventually build the ability to create spaceships. The Spore Creature Creator allows users to design species for use in the game. This is one of the few Maxis games with clear goals, as players must complete five phases and reach space-traveling technology. There is also an ultimate goal: entering the galactic core, a large black hole surrounded by strong and dangerous robot-like beings called the Grox. However, players can stay in a single phase as long as they want, even after completing it. The game received a critic score of 84% on Metacritic, showing that critics generally liked it. Electronic Arts released expansion packs and spin-offs, such as Spore Galactic Adventures (2009) and Darkspore, due to the game's financial success.