Maxis is a much different studio than it was back in the glory days of SimEverything, but now that the dark times of modern SimCity have passed and The Sims 4 has found its footing, it seems that the developer is ready to start building something original. Maxis is looking for a creative director on a new IP who’ll work outside of the studio’s main California location.
The details suggest that this new game will be pretty much what you’d expect from Maxis. The job listing (via PC Gamer) wants someone who can “understand how user-generated content and experiences are shaping products in the market,” and who has experience “in designing a game with a long-term live service” and “taking major triple-A PC and mobile games from concept to completion.”
So we’re looking at a game with long-term services elements, a big focus on user-generated content, and a launch across both PC and mobile devices – that sure sounds like what you’d expect from The Sims studio. The listing also mentions that “experience working with licensing partners is a plus,” so we might have some branded content similar to those licensed Sims 4 Stuff Packs, or maybe even something more substantial.
The team on this new game will work out of an office in Austin, Texas, which houses numerous EA-owned studios – but this is the first we’ve heard of a Maxis-branded project in the area.
Maxis’ last new IP was Spore, which launched all the way back in 2008. It remains to be seen what something original from the studio’s modern incarnation will look like.