To say that the development and launch of SimCity was a train wreck is a bit of an understatement. You’d think it difficult for someone to ruin a game as solid and loved as SimCity, but Maxis and EA managed exactly that.
Making the game require an Internet connection to play was the first huge mistake. Then at launch the servers couldn’t cope meaning thousands of gamers were left unable to play a game they just purchased. The complaints were handled poorly, the cities were way too small, and it turns out the sims weren’t even operating like individuals. To top things off, EA wanted $9 to add airships and balloons to your copy of the game.
I don’t think anyone was surprised when the creative director, lead architect and gameplay engineer quit Maxis and moved on to a new challenge. And now it finally seems as if Maxis and EA are waking up to reality.

Remember how, despite evidence to the contrary, SimCity needed to be an online-connected game in order to function? Well, that turns out to be no longer the case as Maxis is set to introduce an offline mode.
Offline mode will be added for free as part of Update 10 for the game. It means all of your content can be accessed without needing to connect to the Internet at any time–a true single player experience. Save games will also be saved locally, meaning you can play wherever and whenever you like. Something so simple as playing the game on holiday on a laptop is finally a reality. It feels like the ’90s all over again!
Maxis general manager Patrick Buechner is keen to point out that the online version of the game will live on unchanged and multiplayer will still be a core part of the experience. But the feature so many gamers wanted from day one is finally set to get implemented.

There’s no specific date yet for when Update 10 will be available, but it should happen soon and will go hand-in-hand with being able to mod the game. I think the community of SimCity players would also appreciate more information on how an offline mode is now possible when Maxis and EA were so adamant last year that it was impossible. What changed?