EA has announced a new SimCity game at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. The title will be developed by Maxis using their new GlassBox game engine, a new physics engine and will be fully 3D.
Along with the announcement, Maxis released a CGI-based trailer and a few concept art screenshots. The trailer looks impressive but of course it isn't really indicative of actual gameplay.
Detailed features include curvy roads, amazing landscapes, new buildings, dust clouds and natural disasters. There are also a finite amount of resources at your disposal and your sims will face everyday challenges such as losing a job or finding a new one. A robust multiplayer mode will allow players to "change the world together."
One aspect that was highlighted during the press conference was the introduction of pollution. As with real people, not everyone cares about the environment and won't think twice about tossing a piece of litter on the ground or consider the impact of air pollution. Sims that maintain a messy lifestyle could become social outcasts among their friends, notes Geek Sailor.
The game will simply be called SimCity, not SimCity V, as it's a total reboot of the franchise. The last true city-building simulator in the series was SimCity 4 in 2003. Two other titles were released four years later as spinoffs of the original franchise; SimCity DS and SimCity Societies. The two companies behind the latest title feel it's the perfect time to release it as advancements in technology allow for more power PCs with better graphics and monitors that feature larger displays with more vibrant colors.
SimCity will be released for the PC sometime in 2013. Eager fans that place a pre-order now through Origin will received a bonus known as Heroes & Villains. There was no mention of a console version during the announcement.