EA Announces SimCity Societies

Shacknews has today learned from an EA representative that SimCity Societies is the working title for the fifth main game in the popular Maxis city management series. Details on the game are being held until the publishing of a story in the next issue of Games for Windows: The Official Magazine. SimCity Societies will mark the return of the SimCity franchise following the 2003 release of SimCity 4: Rush Hour. It also appears to signal some type of change in gameplay or setting, based on its deviation from standard numerical titles. Recent entries in the series have experimented with showing a more personal level of urban life. SimCity 4 supported the importing of characters from Maxis' The Sims into the urban planner, allowing players to track their movements and habits. GameStop currently lists the PC title as releasing on November 13, 2007, although that date is unconfirmed and is likely the result of speculation. As always, the new Sim City will be developed by Maxis, a wholly-owned subsidiary of EA. SimCity DS, developed by EA Japan and based on SimCity 3000, is set for release this month.