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- Multiple Sims 4 developers laid off, EA shifting focus to The Sims Mobile
Field Researcher
#26
20th Apr 2018 at 6:56 PM
Posts: 397
Yup can’t talk about this on the forums which is ridiculous but not surprising. Might involve some “negative heightened emotional states”
Which pretty much sums up the entire sims 4 game philosophy!
Tell that to the Gurus laid off!
Which pretty much sums up the entire sims 4 game philosophy!
Tell that to the Gurus laid off!
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#27
20th Apr 2018 at 7:00 PM
Posts: 2,201
Quote: Originally posted by coolspear1
The king is dead, (Maxis Sims) Long live the king, (Paradox Sims) Could be they may have gotten wind a better, more proficient developer is coming to a People Simulator world near you soon, and are getting out of Dodge before the inevitable game comparisons become a circus of utter embarrassment and shame that would further damage the credibility of any other EA projects. (Again with the SimCity fiasco.) |
Unless you have an announcement from Para to back that up how DARE you get our fragile hopes up D<
#29
20th Apr 2018 at 7:40 PM
Posts: 1,968
Quote: Originally posted by ShigemiNotoge
Unless you have an announcement from Para to back that up how DARE you get our fragile hopes up D< |
Maybe THAT's the game Paradox are announcing at PDXcon! (Don't think so, alas. Would love to be pleasantly surprised.)
#30
20th Apr 2018 at 7:51 PM
Posts: 416
I knew this...I knew this months ago. Every Time people started posting their wants and wishes for TS5 I would chime in and say...there won't be a TS5. The second EA started doing more things for that damn Sims Mobile, I knew that was the direction they were gonna go.
This whole bullshit about "We have exciting news" was all about The sims mobile and nothing to do with PC. I say good riddance. EA has successfully managed to destroy both Sims City and The Sims.
Man I hope this means another reputable gaming company will pick up the idea and make a new Sims like game. They can't use the name...but they can use everything else.
This whole bullshit about "We have exciting news" was all about The sims mobile and nothing to do with PC. I say good riddance. EA has successfully managed to destroy both Sims City and The Sims.
Man I hope this means another reputable gaming company will pick up the idea and make a new Sims like game. They can't use the name...but they can use everything else.
#31
20th Apr 2018 at 7:55 PM
Posts: 669
Thanks: 3303 in 59 Posts
Thinking about it...it now makes sense why JM left. He must have seen the writing on the wall.
#32
20th Apr 2018 at 7:58 PM
Posts: 264
It's over, let's go home.
Now really, I hope some other company makes some life simulation game >:3
Now really, I hope some other company makes some life simulation game >:3
Field Researcher
#33
20th Apr 2018 at 8:15 PM
Posts: 386
Quote: Originally posted by Gargoyle Cat
We ( by "we" I mean people such as Don, myself and a number of others) have been wondering why TS4 was always posted under mobile gaming when the EA stock holder reports came out. Perhaps this is the reason why? Since they fired Daniel, I think the writing on the proverbial wall was clear that something was going on. For a game that they continue to claim has cash pouring into EA's pockets, why would they be making noise about budget cuts, unless by 'budget cut' they mean eliminating the studio all together and or are just lying about how much TS4 really makes. I had zero plans of buying TS5 if there was going to be such a things simply because Origin, but now I can rid my brain of the whole thing. I don't have a cell phone so EA can kiss my ass with their mobile games. I don't have to log into Origin to play any of my sims games, so all them can fug off. |
Sims 4 has been under the mobile division since late 2015. When Lucy Bradshaw cut her losses and moved to Facebook, EA merged Maxis and EA Mobile into one department headed by Rachel Franklin.
Field Researcher
#34
20th Apr 2018 at 8:31 PM
Posts: 397
Quote: Originally posted by SusannaG
Maybe THAT's the game Paradox are announcing at PDXcon! (Don't think so, alas. Would love to be pleasantly surprised.) |
I would LOVE that.
One of the articles says it's at least three Gurus that have been there for twenty years that are going, who are the other two?
#35
20th Apr 2018 at 8:32 PM
Posts: 9,520
Thanks: 3064 in 4 Posts
It’s been a hot mess ever since.
One of the former Gurus on Reddit said they had not design lead. That’s explains a lot. Honestly, could NO ONE step up the the plate and say, “This is a shit show. I’m fixing this mess,” and every everyone on board hung ho about it?
I could see Graham as a creative director for the Sims.
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One of the former Gurus on Reddit said they had not design lead. That’s explains a lot. Honestly, could NO ONE step up the the plate and say, “This is a shit show. I’m fixing this mess,” and every everyone on board hung ho about it?
I could see Graham as a creative director for the Sims.
->> Check Out Checkout: Journey To Employee Of The Month! <<-
~ Just a click a day is nothing short of helpful! ~
Field Researcher
#36
20th Apr 2018 at 8:34 PM
Posts: 397
Quote: Originally posted by thevogel
I knew this...I knew this months ago. Every Time people started posting their wants and wishes for TS5 I would chime in and say...there won't be a TS5. The second EA started doing more things for that damn Sims Mobile, I knew that was the direction they were gonna go. This whole bullshit about "We have exciting news" was all about The sims mobile and nothing to do with PC. I say good riddance. EA has successfully managed to destroy both Sims City and The Sims. Man I hope this means another reputable gaming company will pick up the idea and make a new Sims like game. They can't use the name...but they can use everything else. |
I didn't have hopes for a sims 5 either but with this news I think it's very clear.
Hopefully it will happen with another company - look at Harvest Moon and Story Of Seasons.
#37
20th Apr 2018 at 9:09 PM
Posts: 416
Quote: Originally posted by Goldbear
I didn't have hopes for a sims 5 either but with this news I think it's very clear. Hopefully it will happen with another company - look at Harvest Moon and Story Of Seasons. |
Yes, that is my hope as well. It would be great if the work on a new Sims like game was already started.... that way we are not waiting for what seems like an enternity for a new game to emerge. But, it's hard to say.
#38
20th Apr 2018 at 9:27 PM
Last edited by Squidconqueror : 20th Apr 2018 at 9:42 PM.
Posts: 1,073
Thanks: 134 in 4 Posts
Quote: Originally posted by aparkison
I haven't played Sims hardly at all for the past month, because all the crap with My First Pet Stuff just was too much drama for me. I play Sims to get away from stress not create more. So, sadly, I'm kind of ready for it to end. I just hope EA makes some kind of official statement telling the community what's going on. If they're going to shut Sims 4 down and just focus on mobile, then they need to say so, and be done with it. The thing that worries me the most is how bad some of the outstanding bugs in the game are. I hope at least some of them are addressed before things are over for good. I'm also not against mobile games (I'm playing Animal Crossing Pocket Camp all the time lately), but Sims Mobile is terrible. I haven't the slightest idea how anyone who loves the Sims on PC could enjoy it. |
Yeah I had lost interest in it after I had 2 babies,never looked back since. As a matter of fact now that i'm thinking about it i'm about to delete Sims Mobile off my tablet and show EA how I really feel. EA is just a disgusting company and they don't deserve any of my money if I have any.
I finally got rid of the virus called Sims Freeplay and Sims Mobile. I don't need them because I got the real things right here on my lappy and they're Sims 2 and 3.
#39
20th Apr 2018 at 9:28 PM
Last edited by Liza : 20th Apr 2018 at 10:24 PM.
Posts: 328
It's terrible to see how EA maims one of my favorite game series. Sims has always been, basically a game for the PC. With console games, she was unlucky, but I really like Sims 2 on the PSP. But Sims for me has never been tamagochi with funny animations (Sims 4 and mobile games). For me, this Sims is not a computer game in the usual sense. It's a life simulator with the ability to build your own stories, worlds, with deep psychology and very elegant humor which is everywhere - in character animations, in the descriptions of objects ... A life simulator that highlights amazing, important life events of characters. (I think you can guess what game is described here).
That Simsguru from the reddit is right: they really lost the vision of the series. At first it turned into a GOOD "like-rpg" (Sims 3), then it sucks (Sims 4). Now they want to turn it into a stupid mobile games. Yes, the game industry is business, but games are not only a product, but also the creativity and work of developers. Unfortunately, creativity in new games is less and less ...
Perhaps this is already the death of the series, but I think the Sims community will exist and expand. Especially the Sims 2 community. After all, the game has so many unsolved secrets and interactions.
Let this series go away. We have Sims 2. Looking at these events, I think this game will live. The task of the moders is to make sure that the game can work as long as possible. After all, the game is quite old, but it's the only representative of life simulators ...
That Simsguru from the reddit is right: they really lost the vision of the series. At first it turned into a GOOD "like-rpg" (Sims 3), then it sucks (Sims 4). Now they want to turn it into a stupid mobile games. Yes, the game industry is business, but games are not only a product, but also the creativity and work of developers. Unfortunately, creativity in new games is less and less ...
Perhaps this is already the death of the series, but I think the Sims community will exist and expand. Especially the Sims 2 community. After all, the game has so many unsolved secrets and interactions.
Let this series go away. We have Sims 2. Looking at these events, I think this game will live. The task of the moders is to make sure that the game can work as long as possible. After all, the game is quite old, but it's the only representative of life simulators ...
#40
20th Apr 2018 at 10:17 PM
Posts: 114
That's it! Pack it up folks, we just have to wait for EA to officially shut The Sims Studio/Maxis down.
Oh not to forget #FuckEA
Oh not to forget #FuckEA
#41
20th Apr 2018 at 10:26 PM
Posts: 2,201
Quote: Originally posted by Nic
That's it! Pack it up folks, we just have to wait for EA to officially shut The Sims Studio/Maxis down. Oh not to forget #FuckEA |
You know the last hope is gone when someone using "don't panic" as their display picture tells you to pack up and give up
#42
20th Apr 2018 at 10:32 PM
Posts: 114
Quote: Originally posted by ShigemiNotoge
You know the last hope is gone when someone using "don't panic" as their display picture tells you to pack up and give up |
I think it's time to change that now
#43
20th Apr 2018 at 10:41 PM
It's sad. The end of an era.
I will choose a path that's clear- I will choose free will
-RUSH- -RADIO- -RADIO- -EON- -ARCHIVES-
Simpeople and Me Archive- 11Dots Archive- My Sims World Archive- Sims 1 Archive
Angel Classic Rock Mix!
-RUSH- -RADIO- -RADIO- -EON- -ARCHIVES-
Simpeople and Me Archive- 11Dots Archive- My Sims World Archive- Sims 1 Archive
Angel Classic Rock Mix!
#44
20th Apr 2018 at 10:43 PM
Posts: 264
I came back with some links to news stories about the rise of mobile gaming. I'm sure some won't be suprised about it as some of us have been reading about these things for years, but perhaps others don't quite get why EA is doing this. I understand that for EA it makes sense to aim The Sims series (and in the future perhaps, a similar spinoff not called "Sims") to a Mobile-only plataform... they are going to make a ton of cash this way, especially if it becomes Mobile-only. But like Liza, to me, The Sims has always been a PC experience, and I still don't like mobile games very much, but that is a personal prefference. Most of all, I don't think that there would flourish a modding community for a Sims mobile game, which means that the only extra content will come from EA...
"This week, The Sims will sell its 100 millionth copy. The game is already the most popular personal computer game around the world, with versions in 22 languages available in 60 countries. But unlike other popular video and computer games, almost 60% of the people playing The Sims are female." source
"Flurry, a mobile analytics and monetisation platform found that women spent 35% more time in gaming apps than men, and that women also make 31% more in-app purchases than men within games on the Flurry platform. The study also found that women are much more likely to return to their games in the future, with their 7-day retention rate a whopping 42% higher than that of the male audience." source
"At this month's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, gaming consultancy Electronic Entertainment Design and Research presented some illuminating data. While the industry as a whole is edging closer to gender parity, game consoles and gaming computers are still predominantly used by the male gamer. Mobile is a different story. Women make up 55% of mobile game players in North America. Overall, EEDAR founder Geoffrey Zatkin noted, North American gamers in 2015 leaned male 55% to 45%. But on home video game consoles, that number jumps to 60% male. On PCs, it's even more heavily male at 64%." source
"Two-thirds of the world now has a mobile phone in their pocket, and apparently a lot of them are spending money on games. A new report from industry analyst DFC Intelligence found that mobile games revenue exceeded PC and console revenue for the first time ever in 2016." source source
"The average gamer may not be who you think he is. Women older than 18 are 36 percent of the game-playing population, while boys younger than 18 are only 17 percent, according to a recent study by the gaming advocacy group Entertainment Software Association. The number of female gamers age 50 and older increased by 32 percent from 2012 to 2013. Men still make up 52 percent of the game-playing population, but women, now 48 percent of the gaming population compared with just 40 percent in 2010, are closing in. The rising popularity of mobile gaming is one reason why." source
"This week, The Sims will sell its 100 millionth copy. The game is already the most popular personal computer game around the world, with versions in 22 languages available in 60 countries. But unlike other popular video and computer games, almost 60% of the people playing The Sims are female." source
"Flurry, a mobile analytics and monetisation platform found that women spent 35% more time in gaming apps than men, and that women also make 31% more in-app purchases than men within games on the Flurry platform. The study also found that women are much more likely to return to their games in the future, with their 7-day retention rate a whopping 42% higher than that of the male audience." source
"At this month's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, gaming consultancy Electronic Entertainment Design and Research presented some illuminating data. While the industry as a whole is edging closer to gender parity, game consoles and gaming computers are still predominantly used by the male gamer. Mobile is a different story. Women make up 55% of mobile game players in North America. Overall, EEDAR founder Geoffrey Zatkin noted, North American gamers in 2015 leaned male 55% to 45%. But on home video game consoles, that number jumps to 60% male. On PCs, it's even more heavily male at 64%." source
"Two-thirds of the world now has a mobile phone in their pocket, and apparently a lot of them are spending money on games. A new report from industry analyst DFC Intelligence found that mobile games revenue exceeded PC and console revenue for the first time ever in 2016." source source
"The average gamer may not be who you think he is. Women older than 18 are 36 percent of the game-playing population, while boys younger than 18 are only 17 percent, according to a recent study by the gaming advocacy group Entertainment Software Association. The number of female gamers age 50 and older increased by 32 percent from 2012 to 2013. Men still make up 52 percent of the game-playing population, but women, now 48 percent of the gaming population compared with just 40 percent in 2010, are closing in. The rising popularity of mobile gaming is one reason why." source
Mad Poster
#45
20th Apr 2018 at 11:07 PM
Posts: 3,443
Thanks: 938 in 5 Posts
No wonder SimGuruDaniel's final tweet sounded so terse.
Not the typical "Oh after so much time with my amazing co-workers, I've decided to move onto other ventures" sort of goodbye.
Quote:
Hey, all. Looks like my time at Maxis is up. I've enjoyed my time working on The Sims, and it's been an honor to be able to contribute to the game that you know and love. It's also been a pleasure to be able to meet and interact with so many of you. |
Not the typical "Oh after so much time with my amazing co-workers, I've decided to move onto other ventures" sort of goodbye.
#46
20th Apr 2018 at 11:36 PM
Posts: 114
https://simsvip.com/2018/04/20/maxi...ern-and-unrest/
never cared much for TS Mobile but it doing bad is kind of surprising to me, especially with them shifting towards Mobile with the Sims now. what are they thinking?
never cared much for TS Mobile but it doing bad is kind of surprising to me, especially with them shifting towards Mobile with the Sims now. what are they thinking?
Field Researcher
#47
20th Apr 2018 at 11:57 PM
Posts: 386
Quote: Originally posted by Nic
https://simsvip.com/2018/04/20/maxi...ern-and-unrest/ never cared much for TS Mobile but it doing bad is kind of surprising to me, especially with them shifting towards Mobile with the Sims now. what are they thinking? |
I’m not surprised. TSM is exploitative. It’s pay structure is incredibly aggressive.
#48
21st Apr 2018 at 12:14 AM
Posts: 9,520
Thanks: 3064 in 4 Posts
They’re just shooting themselves in the foot. The Sims Freeplaybstarted doing worse and worse. It’s obviously doing well enough to justify the cost of production, but for them to have two mobile games on the market that are similar is awful.
TS4 would have been a runaway success if they put some money into it. Look at GTAV. Rockstar dumped CASH into and they didn’t let it fail. They believed in their project and look at it today. It has its problems, but it’s sitting pretty atop the charts. Look at The Sims. The MINUTE the Sims dropped the ball, EA was done with it. They kept it on life support until it was too late. Imagine where TS4 would be if EA have a damn about it’s success rather than trying to jump on trends. TS2 was a project of talent and sold more copies than TS4 would dream of.
By the looks of things, they’re pushing mobile and console - the two that have NEVER been a success for the Sims. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they dropped PC development and focused on console and just ported console packs to PC.
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TS4 would have been a runaway success if they put some money into it. Look at GTAV. Rockstar dumped CASH into and they didn’t let it fail. They believed in their project and look at it today. It has its problems, but it’s sitting pretty atop the charts. Look at The Sims. The MINUTE the Sims dropped the ball, EA was done with it. They kept it on life support until it was too late. Imagine where TS4 would be if EA have a damn about it’s success rather than trying to jump on trends. TS2 was a project of talent and sold more copies than TS4 would dream of.
By the looks of things, they’re pushing mobile and console - the two that have NEVER been a success for the Sims. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they dropped PC development and focused on console and just ported console packs to PC.
->> Check Out Checkout: Journey To Employee Of The Month! <<-
~ Just a click a day is nothing short of helpful! ~
Instructor
#49
21st Apr 2018 at 1:11 AM
Posts: 511
This is it guys, I'm all-in. This is the beginning of the end. Doesn't have to be in a month, in a year or God know's how long or how slow this game could die, but this is the beginning of the end.
-Veteran of 20 years that's been with the game since the start has been fired.
-Game that already seemed underbudget is having it's budget slashed.
-Any workers being moved all have the same destination: Mobile.
-Promotional event going on giving free items in Sims 4 to those that register with Sims Mobile.
I said this ages ago, but Sims Mobile IS our fabled Sims 5. It's not gonna work, it's not gonna succeed, but EA is too blinded by dollar signs to see that. (and they probably have the "logic" of "hurrrdudurrr our game's demographic is the same as the average mobile demographic so we should transition" without bothering to ask if this kind of game can WORK on that platform) It's a terrible, ill-informed, idiotic decision, but it's the exact decision they're choosing.
The Sims is dying. I have zero doubts in my mind now. I'm glad I expected this and I'm not outrageously shocked, but I just hope some good comes from this. I hope those die-hard fans learn from this and the next time a company is blatantly testing waters for what they can get away with, toying with their emotions or blatantly manipulating them, then hopefully next time they won't be so blind to it and we'll see more scrutiny. This is not the first game to die to this kind of atmosphere (certainly not the first I've seen), nor will it be the last. I just hope people at least learn from it instead of going in circles, making the same mistakes over and over and over.
-Veteran of 20 years that's been with the game since the start has been fired.
-Game that already seemed underbudget is having it's budget slashed.
-Any workers being moved all have the same destination: Mobile.
-Promotional event going on giving free items in Sims 4 to those that register with Sims Mobile.
I said this ages ago, but Sims Mobile IS our fabled Sims 5. It's not gonna work, it's not gonna succeed, but EA is too blinded by dollar signs to see that. (and they probably have the "logic" of "hurrrdudurrr our game's demographic is the same as the average mobile demographic so we should transition" without bothering to ask if this kind of game can WORK on that platform) It's a terrible, ill-informed, idiotic decision, but it's the exact decision they're choosing.
The Sims is dying. I have zero doubts in my mind now. I'm glad I expected this and I'm not outrageously shocked, but I just hope some good comes from this. I hope those die-hard fans learn from this and the next time a company is blatantly testing waters for what they can get away with, toying with their emotions or blatantly manipulating them, then hopefully next time they won't be so blind to it and we'll see more scrutiny. This is not the first game to die to this kind of atmosphere (certainly not the first I've seen), nor will it be the last. I just hope people at least learn from it instead of going in circles, making the same mistakes over and over and over.
Field Researcher
#50
21st Apr 2018 at 1:23 AM
Posts: 397
I agree. Can someone just pull the plug on the life support machine now?
If Seasons is announced tomorrow it won’t change things (and it will be shit, I dread to think how Seasons on a budget would look!) unlike some on officials, I don’t want content for the sake of it. I don’t want them to milk it further. That’s a crazy attitude. They may as well just open their wallets and let EA rob them when they feel like it.
Who are the other long standing veteran devs that were forced to go?
If Seasons is announced tomorrow it won’t change things (and it will be shit, I dread to think how Seasons on a budget would look!) unlike some on officials, I don’t want content for the sake of it. I don’t want them to milk it further. That’s a crazy attitude. They may as well just open their wallets and let EA rob them when they feel like it.
Who are the other long standing veteran devs that were forced to go?
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