Maxis - Press News - Coming Soon Magazine

Next Generation in Best Selling SimCity Line Set for Holiday Release

Long Awaited SimCity 3000 to be Previewed at Electronic Entertainment Expo

Walnut Creek, CA, May 16, 1997 -- (NASDAQ: MXIS) When Maxis created SimCity, a computer game that couldn't be won, didn't have gunplay and let players build a city, industry insiders scoffed. Today, after eight years and following the sale of more than five million copies, Maxis announced that it will release the next generation in the SimCity line SimCity 3000 in time for the 1997 holiday shopping season. Maxis also said that it will provide the first public preview of SimCity 3000 at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Atlanta, June 19 - 21.

"Like its predecessors, SimCity 3000 will give players the power to build their own cities on the computer," said Sam Poole, Maxis' president and CEO. "But with photo-realistic 3D graphics and an enhanced simulation model, SimCity 3000 will be more than a cosmetic upgrade, it's a full-fledged urban renewal."

SimCity 3000 will feature detailed 3D graphics giving virtual mayors the ability to view their cities anywhere from street level to 50,000 feet in the air. For the first time, players will be able to watch their SimCitizens go about their business*and get feedback directly from them. Sophisticated mini-simulators built into most buildings will allow the player to make minute adjustments that can affect events inside the building and impact its surrounding area.

Maxis will provide the first public preview of SimCity 3000 and discuss future plans for the SimCity line at a press conference during the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Atlanta on Thursday, June 19 at 12:00 noon in room 267 of the Georgia World Congress Center. Maxis will also preview SimCity 3000 and the company's entire Fall line-up at booth 4664 in the Georgia World Congress Center's West Side Exhibit Hall.

SimCity 3000 will be the third PC version in the SimCity line. The original game, now dubbed SimCity Classic, was released in early 1989 and its sequel, SimCity 2000, was released in late 1993. The SimCity line has been translated into over a dozen languages and is available for a variety of computer operating systems and console video game sets.

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Founded in 1987, Maxis is best known for its "Sim" family of consumer software including SimEarth, SimAnt and SimFarm. Most of the company's 200-plus employees are located in its Walnut Creek, California headquarters. Additional development offices are located in San Mateo, California and Austin, Texas. Maxis has marketing and sales offices in London, Tokyo and throughout the US.

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