SimCity's controversial always-on internet requirement may have upset some fans, but developer Maxis is encouraging fans to wait until E3 to make up their minds about the feature.
According to producer Jason Haber, the constant internet connection is "totally worth having." And come E3, fans will see why.
"From the ground up it's been a multiplayer game," Haber said. "I'm not surprised we're getting some reaction like this. But I think once people see it in action – and at E3 we're really looking forward to showing people multiplayer and how it works – hopefully that will show them why it's such a great feature and it's totally worth having."
"The benefit you're going to get out of being able to play online is going to help convince you of why it's worth it," he added.
We don't know much about SimCity's multiplayer, but we do know that the game will allow cities to interact with nearby regions to trade and sell extra resources in hopes of creating somewhat of a global economy.
"The thing that's important for people to know is it really was driven by us as the dev team," Haber explained. "We feel it's a core feature to the game. It really makes the game richer. People have their conspiracy theories over why we're doing it. But really, it's honest that the dev team feels like it really does add a lot to the game, and it's totally worth doing for that."
Haber insisted the decision has more to do with creating a more realistic experience and has less to do with combating piracy.
"It's a design choice on how to make the game feel more like a real city, right? And real cities don't exist in bubbles that nobody else has any influence in. City actions affect other cities, and other cities affect them," Haber defended. "I live in the San Francisco Bay area. There are lots of little cities in there and they all interact with each other and all influence each other. Being able to recreate that momentum and feeling in SimCity is really important to the game."
