EA Working On Unannounced 'Maxis Style Sim Game'

Why don't you just tear out my heart and save me the pain?!

In before DLC. microtransactions and commercial developer licenses ...... (and obviously only available via EA's Origin platform requiring a creditcard). I forget, dependancies of Facebook integration and more of that.

Let's be honest, IF EA were to pick up on the potential of SimCity, they would follow the example set by 2K Games and the Civilization franchise. Simtropolis with 450k users, heh, I can just picture them thinking "if we can subtly force each of those to spend 5 bucks on this or that ..... (ah yes, we will have to tempt some player custom content developers and subtly limit the rest of them so it does not interfere with DLC and the content shop ... oh and we will have to simplify and socialize it for the casual players and not the core customer base).

Well, I do not know if EA Games has any intent on a SimCity 5 or not, but my guess would be that they WILL NOT. Now this guess is not based on a mere hunch or gut feeling but based on research.

I have been looking at trademark applications lately, and found that SimCity's trademarks and copyright's are starting to expire. Now this would not normally mean much, but during my research, I have uncovered that EA Games has NOT renewed them. HUM does this mean that they are walking away from the whole SimCity game? This is the question on my mind.

It's damn interesting for them though, strictly commercially. Known franchise, both wide and deep customer groups existing, plenty means for cheapo marketing, etc. Add in a cheap studio venture, as I said along the lines of how 2K Games mutilated the Civ franchise. Throw in the word "sim", add in "social" and create the conditions for people to pull their wallet for most of every bit and piece. Results.

Good point on the trademarks, though keep in mind that there is more to that than just those aspects in order to keep a stranglehold on a franchise or brand. Zero chance of oldies picking it up away from EA.