A SimCity offline mode is being explored, admits Maxis. Unfortunately, larger or bigger cities will not be happening any time soon in the game, if at all. The news comes courtesy of General Manager of the Maxis Emeryville studio, Patrick Buechner.
SimCity got off to a rough start, with an online requirement that didn’t go well with long-time fans. Server issues plagued the game from the start but now things have been smooth sailing and Maxis has even brought seven major updates to the game since its release on March 5, 2013.
But the biggest question is, when will SimCity get an offline mode? The team is focused on exploring the possibility said Buechner, but won’t make any promises. The offline mode would not only benefit those that just wish to play their game without having to go online, but also the modding community that will be able to experiment without interfering or breaking the multiplayer experience.
As for bigger cities, that has been officially taken off the table. According to Buechner, months of investigating were spent by the team into looking at the possibility of giving players bigger cities. Unfortunately, it just can’t be achieved within the confines of the engine and as a result, the team has chosen to “cease work on bigger city sizes.”
Lastly, Buechner wanted to make it clear that the team working on the SimCity Cities of Tomorrow expansion is separate from the team working on improving and updating the core game. It appears that its main priority is to make offline mode a reality as soon as possible.
Source: Maxis Blog
