Maxis hasn’t created a new IP since 2008, when it released the ambitious but ultimately disappointing Spore. Since then, the once venerable studio has spent most of its time churning out countless expansions for The Sims. Oh yeah, and there was SimCity. That went down well.
But, while the Redwood studio is still working on the latest installment in the Sims series, it’s also spreading out. On EA Jobs, an advertisement has been posted for a senior designer for a new, unannounced IP. The listing is fat with details, name dropping the likes of Little Big Planet, Minecraft and Project Spark as titles applicants should have played and understood.
The requirements section of the listing offers more than a few hints about the nature of the unannounced title. It’s far too early to assume anything, but it’s interesting nonetheless.
Here are some of the most notable requirements:
- The unique nature of this product requires prior experience in deeply social multiplayer games such as MMOs.
- Ability to weave Free-to-Play game mechanics with monetization in simple, natural, respectful ways (i.e. design monetization that players respect and feel adds a great deal of value for their money).
- Understanding of Maxis creativity and simulation games, including SimCity, The Sims, and Spore.
- Understanding playing and understanding other games in the creativity space, including Little Big Planet, Minecraft and its popular mods, Roblox, Disney Infinity, Project Spark, and other upcoming efforts.
What’s not surprising is that Maxis is clearly continuing to toe the EA company line, with social features and the games as a service philosophy.
The listing implies that this new title will be an MMO, or at the very least online, free-to-play, and a mix of RPG mechanics such as loot, crafting and player progression with the simulation stuff the studio is more known for.
The mess that was SimCity and EA’s increasingly unpleseant business model makes me wary of anything free-to-play that comes from the publisher, but I can’t help but be intrigued by this listing. A creative MMO with sim elements sounds very much like my kind of drug.
What do you lovely lot think?
Cheers, Dual Shockers.