‘The Sims’ creator Will Wright calls ‘SimCity’ launch debacle ‘inexcusable’

By Michael Rougeau May 7, 2013

Will Wright — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Sims creator Will Wright called the debacle surrounding the recent launch of EA’s new SimCity title “inexcusable” in a new interview with GamesIndustry.biz. “I could have predicted—I kind of did predict there’d be a big backlash about the DRM stuff. That was basically inexcusable, that you charge somebody $60 for a game and they can’t play it. I can understand the outrage. If I was a consumer buying the game and that happened to me, I’d feel the same.” He then went on to say that he enjoys playing the game, and he feels bad for the team behind it.

Wright created The Sims, SimCity, and Spore, and he founded the studio that built them all: Maxis (now EA Maxis). He left Electronic Arts in 2009 and later formed a startup development studio called Stupid Fun Club. His latest venture is Syntertainment, a startup that “lives at the intersection of entertainment and reality.”

Wright also had plenty to say about the game industry in general, declaring that developers have yet to realize games’ full potential. “Relative to what we have as a medium, with what we could be doing with it, we’re falling way short,” he said. As business models and the medium itself continue to evolve, Wright said “the future is becoming less predictable.”

Check out the full GamesIndustry article for more of Wright’s thoughts on the future of the industry and the state of things at EA.

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Michael Rougeau

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Mike Rougeau is a journalist and writer who lives in Los Angeles with his girlfriend and two dogs. He specializes in video…

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The best Sims 4 mods

best sims 4 mods

The Sims is a series known for giving you the freedom to do nearly anything you want. In The Sims 4, EA and Maxis doubled down on this, delivering a robust offering of ways to customize your Sim to your liking and give them the chance to live their life however they want.

The game might not allow you to do everything you want, though. Have you looked through every hairstyle and not found the exact one you want? Or have you ever thought about turning your Sim into a magical mermaid? Thanks to mods created by the wonderful community, you can expand upon your Sim's life beyond the customization options laid out by developers. There are a ton of mods to choose from in The Sims 4, but in this list, we'll go through the absolute best -- and include links to download them.

Gaming

All Trinkets in Tales of Kenzera: Zau, explained

The main character of Tales of Kenzera: Zau stands with two elemental items.

Your main upgrades in a metroidvania like Tales of Kenzera: Zau will always be your new abilities. These transform the way you move and fight, but there are other ways you can make Zau a more powerful shaman. Trinkets are introduced right away, but aren't given away as freely as you might think. Each one requires you to overcome a small trial that tests your platforming abilities off the main path. Technically, you can miss every single one aside from the one you begin the game with. Even though there are a few fast travel points, backtracking isn't a particularly fun experience. Here are all the Trinket locations in Tales of Kenzera: Zau, plus which ones you should equip.
All Trinket locations
You can see which zones have Trinkets on the map, and for the most part, you will be able to grab them as you navigate through them for the first time. Here are each of the Trinket locations roughly in the order you should naturally be able to get them.
Battering Stance
This is the Trinket you begin the game with and is equipped by default.
Lifted Spirit

The first Trinket is found in this side path trial in The Buluu Caverns.
Retaliating Spirit

Gaming

How to start The Forgotten Kingdom DLC in Remnant 2

Invoker

Remnant 2 is a massive game that already boasts nearly endless replayability, but that isn't stopping developer Gunfire Games from adding even more to do in the popular looter shooter. The game's new DLC, The Forgotten Kingdom, provides players with a substantial amount of extra stuff to check out, such as new biomes to explore, an additional archetype known as The Invoker, and plenty of fresh enemies to take down. If you're ready to see all of what The Forgotten Kingdom DLC has to offer, read on to learn how to access it from within the game.
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The first step in accessing The Forgotten Kingdom DLC is to ensure you've purchased and downloaded it. You can buy the standalone version from your respective storefront for $10, or you can opt to snag the $25 bundle, which includes The Awakened King, The Forgotten Kingdom, and another future DLC that has yet to be announced. If you intend to play the full trilogy of DLCs, the former is your best option, as you'll save five bucks off the total cost of all three.

Once you've purchased and downloaded the DLC, you'll be ready to access The Forgotten Kingdom by visiting a World Stone and opening Adventure Mode. You'll need to have completed the Yaesha biome at least one time. At that point, you can select "Reroll Adventure Mode" and choose The Forgotten Kingdom: One Shot on the right, which will notably give you exclusive DLC content your first time through. Keep in mind that while this initial run won't feature any older content, your subsequent playthroughs of Yaesha will weave DLC areas in with main campaign content.