Skip to main content

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

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 SimsSimCity, 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.

Editors' Recommendations

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…
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.

Read more
These are the 10 best gaming PCs I’d recommend to anyone
Graphics card in the CLX Hathor PC.

We review dozens of gaming PCs each year. In 2024, there are a ton of great options, but we've narrowed them down to a list of the 10 best gaming desktops that deserve your hard-earned money.

In 2024, we still recommend the Alienware Aurora R16 because of its fantastic design, solid performance, and decent value. However, there are several other options depending on your needs and budget. If you want a deeper look into how we evaluate gaming PCs, make sure to read about how we review desktops.

Read more
Samsung’s crazy 57-inch curved 4K monitor is $700 off today
The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 57-inch mini-LED gaming monitor placed on a desk.

Your investment in gaming PC deals will  go to waste if you don't upgrade your screen, and if you're willing to splurge for the best possible gaming experience, you'll want to go for the 57-inch Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 curved gaming monitor. It's pretty expensive at its original price of $2,500, so you're going to want to take advantage of any discounts that are available. Fortunately, Samsung has slashed its price by $700 so it's down to $1,800 -- it's still not cheap, but once you're playing your favorite games on this monitor, you'll quickly understand why it's worth every single penny.

Why you should buy the 57-inch Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 curved gaming monitor
The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 curved gaming monitor features a 57-inch screen with dual 4K Ultra HD resolution and a 1000R curvature, so it will fully immerse you in the worlds of the video games that you play with its lifelike details and vivid colors. It also supports HDR 1000 for better visual accuracy, and it uses Quantum Matrix technology for controlled brightness and improved contrast.

Read more