After reports that Maxis has laid off many veteran developers, and moved others to mobile teams within EA, SimGurus have taken to Twitter to clarify their roles in the company, and show appreciation for their love of game and community.
SimGuruDuke, former Senior Producer to The Sims 4 on Console, responded to questions regarding his updated Linkedin profile that states he is now leading the development of a new “mobile title”, and no longer leading development on the console games.
Never fear guys. I still work with the console team in fact I will be at EA Play for Console in June. It is no longer my sole focus. @SimGuruCleaning and @SimGuruLegacy are covering the day to day now but console will always be important to me 🙂
— Michael Duke (@SimGuruDuke) April 20, 2018
I’m working on a new Maxis project right now but I still work with the console team too 🙂
— Michael Duke (@SimGuruDuke) April 20, 2018
While he is still working with the Maxis studio, he has confirmed he’s working on a Maxis project, while still involved with console games in some capacity. The new “mobile” project listed on his Linkedin profile doesn’t have a name for now, and this has players fear that The Sims 5 is either not coming to PC, or will be a mobile only experience.
SimGuruKate, community manager to The Sims Mobile, hopped on Twitter to tweet the following series of messages to the community.
Tensions are high and there’s a lot of unrest right now so in lieu of #FollowFriday I want to send love out to all of those that have played The Sims, on any platform, throughout the years. It’s been an amazing 18 years thus far and there’s still so many more years to go.
— Kate (@SimGuruKate) April 20, 2018
This is, hands down, the most passionate community I have ever been a part of, and I love that. You are inspiring, you are smart, and you are creative. And we, and I, love that. ❤️
— Kate (@SimGuruKate) April 20, 2018
And I am so lucky that every day I walk into the office and get to work on a franchise that I love, and with a community that is this passionate.
— Kate (@SimGuruKate) April 20, 2018
It’s clear that community concern has reached EA and Maxis, so gurus are trying their best to clarify and solidify their passion for the game.
Lastly, there is also a reddit thread gaining attention today, as a supposed “former SimGuru” has commented on the studio and the future of The Sims series.
❗ Keep in mind there is no way to verify the identify or validity of this person’s claims of being a SimGuru, but much of what he says does fall in line with what we’ve heard from our sources and others over the last few years.
Either way, file these comments under “rumor” and “speculation” for now.
Among the many comments posted by this person, this is the first time we’ve heard any information regarding The Sims 5, and a lack of creative leadership within the company.
Comments regarding the success of The Sims Mobile are also publicly available on iTunes and Google Play. Sims Mobile and Sims Freeplay are not even listed in the iOS’s Top 100 Grossing Games, and fall at #160 (Sims Freeplay) & #161 (Sims Mobile) on Android’s Top Grossing Games. These lists are updated frequently.
What are your thoughts? Does any of this validate your concerns or fears? Does this give you some hope for the series? Let us know in the comments below!
