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Maxis' name was derived from a formula suggested by Jeff Braun's father: computer game companies should have two-syllable names and should include an 'x'. This is confirmed in an interview with a Maxis employee on a bonus disc released with ''[[The Sims#The Sims: Makin' Magic|The Sims: Makin' Magic]]'', and earlier in SimCity 2000 Special Edition.
Maxis' name was derived from a formula suggested by Jeff Braun's father: computer game companies should have two-syllable names and should include an 'x'. This is confirmed in an interview with a Maxis employee on a bonus disc released with ''[[The Sims#The Sims: Makin' Magic|The Sims: Makin' Magic]]'', and earlier in SimCity 2000 Special Edition.


A false rumor states that Maxis is named after "six AM" in reverse. This is the time of day that a Sim's alarm clock wakes them up. This rumor seems to have stemmed from an easter egg in ''SimCity 3000'', in which the game's ticker bar displays the message "Do you know that Maxis spelled backwards is Six AM?" upon execution of a cheat code in the cheat entry box.<ref name="3keegg">Additionally, in later Sims expansion packs, the name was explained by [[Will Wright (game designer)|Will Wright]] as Six AM spelt backwards in the bonus "[[The Sims 2]] Preview".</ref> However, Will Wright stated in an online chat session that "Maxis means 6 A.M. backwards". <ref>http://simcity.ea.com/community/events/will_wright_01_08_04.php</ref>
A false rumor states that Maxis is named after "six AM" in reverse. This is the time of day that a Sim's alarm clock wakes them up. This rumor seems to have stemmed from an easter egg in ''SimCity 3000'', in which the game's ticker bar displays the message "Do you know that Maxis spelled backwards is Six AM?" upon execution of a cheat code in the cheat entry box.<ref name="3keegg">Additionally, in later Sims expansion packs, the name was explained by [[Will Wright (game designer)|Will Wright]] as Six AM spelt backwards in the bonus "[[The Sims 2]] Preview".</ref> However, Will Wright stated in an online chat session that ''"Maxis means 6 A.M. backwards [b]ecause you stay up all night playing the games"''. <ref>http://simcity.ea.com/community/events/will_wright_01_08_04.php</ref>


===Decline===
===Decline===

Revision as of 18:14, 21 June 2010

Maxis Software
Company typeSubsidiary of Electronic Arts
IndustrySoftware & Programming
Founded1987
HeadquartersEmeryville, California, USA
Key people
Will Wright, Jeff Braun (founders)
ProductsSim franchise, Spore and SimCity
OwnerElectronic Arts
ParentElectronic Arts

Maxis Software is an American company founded as an independent video game developer in 1987. It is currently a subsidiary of Electronic Arts (EA). Maxis is the creator of the best-selling computer game of all time, The Sims and its first sequel, The Sims 2. These titles and their related products are the brand's most popular and successful lines.

Most Maxis titles are simulation-based, though none are considered traditional simulations. Maxis founder Will Wright likens them as "digital dollhouses." Maxis has also released games developed by other production houses, such as A-Train and SimTower.

History

Origin and early acclaim

Will Wright, Maxis co-founder

Maxis was founded in 1987 by Will Wright and 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.[1] The SimCity series has since been updated to include SimCity 2000 (1993), SimCity 3000 (1999), SimCity 3000: Unlimited (2000), SimCity 4 (2003).

Maxis has also released some non-sim titles, such as 1991's RoboSport and the well-known 1995 3D Pinball for Windows, which has been included as one of the standard system games in many Windows releases.

After such success with the SimCity series, Maxis tried various other Sim- titles. Some of these attempts include SimAnt, SimFarm, SimEarth, SimLife, SimTower, SimIsle and SimHealth. Maxis was also approached by companies to design business aids; SimRefinery is one example. The success of these franchises varies, but none matched that of the original SimCity. Maxis' hit The Sims is the only notable exception.

Origin of the name

Maxis' name was derived from a formula suggested by Jeff Braun's father: computer game companies should have two-syllable names and should include an 'x'. This is confirmed in an interview with a Maxis employee on a bonus disc released with The Sims: Makin' Magic, and earlier in SimCity 2000 Special Edition.

A false rumor states that Maxis is named after "six AM" in reverse. This is the time of day that a Sim's alarm clock wakes them up. This rumor seems to have stemmed from an easter egg in SimCity 3000, in which the game's ticker bar displays the message "Do you know that Maxis spelled backwards is Six AM?" upon execution of a cheat code in the cheat entry box.[2] However, Will Wright stated in an online chat session that "Maxis means 6 A.M. backwards [b]ecause you stay up all night playing the games". [3]

Decline

After the immense success of SimCity, Maxis experimented with different genres. 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 bore only 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). As of October 18, 2006, and the release of The Sims 2: Pets expansion pack, the Maxis title has been omitted from the game's start. Also, up until The Sims 2: FreeTime, the logo of Maxis was used for a button in the Options panel of the game to display the credits. In FreeTime, the Maxis logo has been replaced by a symbol of the Sims plumbob.

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 folded into EA's Redwood Shores headquarters.[citation needed]

The present Maxis is based at Will Wright's studio in Emeryville, California.[citation needed]

Notable creations

Maxis is widely regarded for its innovating simulation games, in which there is no specific goal to the player, making its games almost endless.

SimCity series

A screen-shot from SimCity 4, showing a densely populated city

SimCity was Maxis' first release and innovated the conception of gaming as there was no specific goal to be reached, meaning that it could neither be won nor lost. In this franchise, the player is a mayor that must raise a city from a single village to a successful metropolis, laying down zones, taking care of the public services and stimulating the city's economy. The series includes five main games (SimCity, SimCity 2000, SimCity 3000, SimCity 4 and SimCity Societies) and three spin-offs (SimCity: The Card Game, SimCopter and Streets of SimCity). SimCity Societies, the fifth main release for the franchise, was not produced by Maxis, but by Tilted Mill Entertainment, being described as a 'social engineering simulator' and criticized for the lack of SimCity's traditional gaming formula.

The Sims

Current "The Sims" Division logo, used from 2004. It was inspired by The Sims 2 logo.

Maxis' most successful series to date and the best-selling PC game of all time is The Sims (2000).[4] 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 dimetric engine. Eight expansion packs and nine stuff packs have been released for the sequel thus far.

Spore

A screenshot of a near-final prototype Cell Phase, the first phase of the game. The player must evolve through the Cell, Creature, Tribal and Civilization phases to reach the last and most advanced knowledge in the game: the Space Phase.

Maxis' latest project, Spore, was released on September 7, 2008 (September 5 in Europe). Players create species starting at the single cell level, and develop them into sentient life. The goal is for them to eventually gain the intelligence to create spaceships. The Spore Creature Creator allows users to create species for later use in the game. This is one of few Maxis' games to feature goals on its plot as the player must complete five different phases and reach the space-traveling technology. There is also an ultimate goal, which is entering the galactic core, a massive black hole surrounded by a powerful and hostile cyborg species called The Grox. However, the player can stay in a single phase as long as he wishes, even after completing it.

Spore was largely lauded by media and by Maxis and Electronic Arts themselves as one of the most revolutionary games of all time. Professional criticisms were highly positive, but the general public received the game with strong distrust mainly because of the DRM technology.[citation needed] Negative reviews also focused on the game's frequent bugs. EA Games confirmed the production of expansion packs due to Spore's financial success.[5]

References

  1. ^ Geoff Keighley. "SIMply Divine". Retrieved 2008-06-07.
  2. ^ Additionally, in later Sims expansion packs, the name was explained by Will Wright as Six AM spelt backwards in the bonus "The Sims 2 Preview".
  3. ^ http://simcity.ea.com/community/events/will_wright_01_08_04.php
  4. ^ Walker, Trey (2002-03-22). "The Sims overtakes Myst". GameSpot. CNET Networks. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  5. ^ Ian Bogost (2008-03-31). "Opinion: Is Spore 'For Everyone'?". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2006-03-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)

See also

External links

Template:Video game companies of the United States