Being the first SimCity game in over a decade, you'd think that EA would have known that demand for their city-planning game would be through the roof. But as SimCity's bungled launch proved, that was not the case. In fact, a new interview with Maxis' Lucy Bradshaw reveals exactly how much the company had grossly underestimated launch demand.

"We've reached peaks just in the first week that were literally 100 percent above our early estimations," Bradshaw said, saying the company did not expect "a huge surge in pre-orders within the last week" and lengthy game sessions once players were able to connect.

Read more: Poor beta planning blamed »

Perhaps the most-wanted feature of any SimCity player is an offline mode, as evidenced by this hack. Officially, Maxis' latest release requires an always-on internet connection, which has been the root of the game's many problems at launch.

Lucy Bradshaw, general manager at Maxis, directly addressed the possibility of offline play. Bradshaw answered the question "could we have built a subset offline mode" with a rather disparaging response: "Yes. But we rejected that idea because it didn't fit with our vision."

Read more: 'We recognize that there are fans' who want an offline mode, but... »

SimCity has been the subject of plenty of criticism and scrutiny since its launch, due mostly to the little problem that many players couldn't access the game. As the servers start to catch up to player load, or vice-versa, Maxis is turning its attention towards what to patch next.

Read more: Pathing issues being fixed, some features being re-enabled »

To say that the SimCity launch has not gone smoothly would be an understatement. Two chief complaints have been the lack of an offline mode amid server issues, and the generally small city sizes. One intrepid modder has killed both of those pesky birds with one stone, and argues that it shows EA could easily pull it off too.

Read more: 'Simulation can carry on with no connection indefinitely' »

SimCity has almost scrambled back to its feet following the disastrous launch that left players languishing in queues, thanks to a string of updates and new servers. Maxis claimed over the weekend that the "core problem" of being being unable to play is "almost behind us", and that it has "reduced game crashes by 92% from day one." It also dropped teasing, but slightly contradictory, hints that it may consider adding offline support.

Read more: Had hoped to issue an "All-Clear" on Sunday »

SimCity's launch has been a mess, nay, a disaster. With server problems plaguing the always-online simulation game, many fans are rightfully pissed.

Well, EA is trying to offer an olive branch following the game's troubled launch. No, you won't be able to get a refund. Instead, EA is offering a free game.

Read more: PC downloads available in one week »

The messy saga of SimCity's launch continues. EA has already committed to adding servers to alleviate the poor online connectivity, but the company is reportedly making less conventional moves as well.

Read more: 'Please stop actively promoting the game' »

The ongoing server problems with SimCity's always-on DRM connection to Origin has forced EA to push even more servers online. and disable several features. The troubles even forced Amazon to pull the game from its store for a short period of time yesterday.

Read more: Leaderboards, cheetah mode disabled »

The launch of Maxis's new SimCity has been something of a mess, to put it mildly, with players facing long queues to even launch what is chiefly a single-player game. Good job, always-online DRM. Maxis has issued a statement saying it's "putting everything we have" towards fixing up the servers and squashing bugs. The city-building sim launches in Europe today, so let's hope that doesn't overload things further.

Read more: Live ops team "working 24/7" »

It's fitting that the newest entry into the SimCity franchise is again simply called SimCity: it's a return to the bedrock principles of the series, but still incorporates enough complicating factors to keep would-be mayors on their toes for the hours it will take to grow a city to maturity. This is a fine reboot, containing some great new additions to the franchise while also reserving some room for it to grow in the future.

Read more: Fun and frustrating »

SimCity has been put through its paces with two rounds of beta testing, which means that by now you might have tried it for yourself. If you found the cities too small for your liking, rest easy. Creative director Ocean Quigley says cities will get bigger as computing power increases.

Read more: Game needs to run on 'your dad's PC' »

You may have thoughts about the new SimCity--the city size; a lack of terraforming; its always-online DRM requirement--but your opinions don't matter. No, Will Wright, that's who we want to hear from. Metaphorically sitting in a big red leather armchair to tell a story like a beloved uncle, the SimCity creator talks about the first game in the series he hasn't worked on, his first impressions, and how he builds his cities.

Watch: Thanks, Uncle Will! »

Did you miss out on the first SimCity beta? No worries, as EA and Maxis will be running another one over Valentine's weekend. Urban planning is so romantic!

Read more: Stress test to last one day »

EA and Maxis have already announced the digital deluxe edition of SimCity. But since showing is more effective than telling, they've produced a snazzy new trailer to display the features that come in the set for 20 extra bucks.

Read more: Great Britain, France, and Germany »

It's been a decade now since the last real SimCity. Think about it: George W. Bush was still president. Pluto was still a planet. Unless you really love the series (and many do), it's probably been a long time since you sat down and had an honest go at building New Gotham City or New New York.

That was the certainly the case for us when we sat down to play EA's SimCity reboot for the first time earlier this month. But after several hours, and several abject failures, we were able to figure things out and get a real metropolis going. Here's what you should be thinking about when you jump into SimCity yourself in a couple months.

Read more: Tracking resources online »