10 Ill-Fated Choices That Wrecked Video Games Instantly

Founded in 1987 by industry pioneer Will Wright, Maxis set the blueprint for city builders that still holds strong to this day. With multiple franchises and sequels, the wider series took the crown as the king of the simulation genre. Their acquisition by Electronic Arts in 1997 paved the way for The Sims to reach the masses throughout the 2000s.

While they had hit a few snags with a lukewarm reception to Spore in 2008, Maxis generally hadn't had too many missteps. That changed in the 2010s. When the company announced a new SimCity on new hardware, fans were naturally excited to see a modern update. They eagerly booted up the new game in March 2013, only to slam into a brick-wall; the game depended on an always-online system. On top of egregious server issues, a wave of outrage swept through the gaming community. It was an utterly baffling decision; who buys SimCity to play online constantly? The backlash grew fierce as review bombs and bitter rants quickly overran the title.

As a result, the Maxis Emeryville studio was closed by EA in March 2015, effectively downgrading the influential developer to lower status. Since the failure of 2013's SimCity, the once proud series (and the studio that created it) has been relegated to the mobile gaming scene, with SimCity Build-It released in 2014. Two years later, it would be surpassed by Colossal Order's Cities: Skylines, a title that gained high recognition for filling the gap SimCity left behind.