SimCity Won’t Support Mods At Launch, Requires Internet Connection

A few new details about the new SimCity from developer EA Maxis surfaced today, but one of the new bits of information is sure to disappoint quite a few in the hardcore PC gaming crowd.

Before we get to that, here’s the good news: EA confirmed to Joystiq that the newest SimCity will not be exclusive to Origin, meaning that you’ll be able to purchase it on your digital distribution platform of choice.

While SimCity‘s availability on other digital platforms may have a few of you sighing in relief, there’s also a bit of bad news, at least for those of you with shoddy internet connections and an aversion to Origin: SimCity will require an internet connection to play, and you’ll need to use Origin to play it. This doesn’t rule out a Steam release, but it may be less likely.

The bad news doesn’t stop there, though. Speaking to Joystiq, EA Maxis creative director Ocean Quigley confirmed that mod tools will not be available when SimCity launches in 2013. Before you get too bummed out, Quigley suggested that mod support will be added down the line.

“Right now we’ve got our work cut out for us to build the product up to the quality level it deserves as a SimCity,” Quigley said. “Then after we ship, we’ll make decisions about how we can and when exactly we’ll support mods.

“But it’s worth pointing out that the reason people are still playing SimCity 4 almost ten years later is because the modding community essentially re-created it and filled it with new content and fixed bugs and made it as much of a hobby as it is a game.

“We’re very cognizant of that — we’re not idiots.”

Source: Joystiq (1), (2)