EA & Maxis Announce SimCity’s Offline Mode

SimCity was released to the world last March and was plagued by a host of connection errors for many users, and this aspect of the game was heavily criticized in user reviews where the server must be constantly connected to the internet at all times in order to play the game. EA announced that they would offer a free game from their library to all those who bought SimCity as compensation for the problems. This plethora of issues led to online store Amazon temporarily stopping selling the game in the week after release due to the sheer amount of complaints it received. Well its now nearly one year later so how's the game getting on? Well things have now settled and the game is doing rather well. I still speak to a lot with people who are enjoying the game and have forgotten about all of the previous issues with the game. Another bout of good news for SimCity players is that EA have announced that they are to release an offline version of the game. The news comes some ten months after repeated problems with the launch of the most recent release of the city-building game, which required players to be online. EA explained that requiring connection to the internet was seen as an attempt to curb piracy, but some users struggled to log in at the start and although the issues have now been more than resolved there is still a bitten taste in the mouths of die hard fans. The new offline version will be available to all players as a free download once testing is completed and General Manger of Maxis Patrick Buechner has said: "Let's get right to it. SimCity offline is coming! I've wanted to say those words for quite some time. When we launch it, all of your previously downloaded content will be available to you anytime, anywhere, without the need for an internet connection." He also said that an offline version would allow users to make modifications to the game and its components without compromising the integrity of the online game and said "Modding is a big part of our studio's legacy and we're excited to see what you guys create," he said. The offline game will come as a free download with update 10 and will be available to all SimCity players when released and we will be right on top of the news to get some reaction from this decision which let's be honest, has been a long time coming!