After close to 30 years of developing such iconic game series as The Sims and SimCity, EA has closed the doors on Maxis Emeryville.

News of Maxis’ closing comes from a number of now former employees of the development studio, with Guillaume Pierre’s gaining the most attention.

Well it was a fun 12 years, but it's time to turn off the lights and put the key under the door. #RIPMaxisEmeryville

— Guillaume Pierre (@MaxisGuillaume) March 4, 2015

Moments after news of Maxis Emeryville’s closing made its way across the Internet, EA released the following statement regarding the shuttering:

“Today we are consolidating Maxis IP development to our studios in Redwood Shores, Salt Lake City, Helsinki and Melbourne locations as we close our Emeryville location. Maxis continues to support and develop new experiences for current Sims and SimCity players, while expanding our franchises to new platforms and developing new cross-platform IP. 

These changes do not impact our plans for The Sims. Players will continue to see rich new experiences in The Sims 4, with our first expansion pack coming soon along with a full slate of additional updates and content in the pipeline.

All employees impacted by the changes today will be given opportunities to explore other positions within the Maxis studios and throughout EA. For those that are leaving the company, we are working to ensure the best possible transition with separation packages and career assistance.”

There's some kind of sick irony to EA shutting down one of its Maxis studios during the week the Game Developers Conference is happening.

Best of luck to all of those who have been affected by Maxis Emeryville's shuttering.