Almost a year after its initial release, the creators of SimCity are giving the game an offline mode allowing players to load and save their cities without being connected to the internet.
Yes, Offline is coming as a free download with Update 10 to all SimCity players,” wrote Maxis Emeryville studio general manager Patrick Buechner on the SimCity blog. “When we launch it, all of your previously downloaded content will be available to you anytime, anywhere, without the need for an internet connection.”
When it first launched, SimCity was plagued with server issues and the majority of fans disproved of the game’s “always online” requirements. EA Senior Vice President Lucy Bradshaw even went on to apologize for the launch troubles the game faced. She also explained that SimCity was never intended to have an offline mode.
“We rejected that idea because it didn’t fit with our vision,” wrote Bradshaw. “We did not focus on the single city in isolation that we have delivered in past SimCities.”
This offline mode will also open up modding options that weren’t available before. Players will be able to “make modifications to the game and its components without compromising the integrity of the Online game.” Time will tell how the community responds to this update and if it means anything for future EA titles in development with “always online” in mind.
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