SimCity 2013 Mods?

Will there be SimCity 2013 Mods? We took to developer Maxis interviews to find out if they answered this much-asked questions!

With SimCity 2013 becoming available from March 5th, 2013 on PC, and a Mac version due for Q2 2013, the big complaint at launch — aside from the long waiting times to play — is not having the possibility for SimCity 2013 Mods! It would be especially welcome for the potential of added multiplayer mayhem, since SimCity now has Multiplayer support.

Playing with friends for the first time adds a new dimension to how you play SimCity. Your decisions impact both your city and your region. As a live service, the game can simulate real time updates from new challenges to new features and content. Mods can only add to the fun there.

Let’s find out what’s going on with Mod support…

SimCity 2013 Mods

EA has said that the ability to support Mods is already built into GlassBox, the new engine powering SimCity! This means that although there’s no Mod support at launch, there’s potential for it to be added later on.

When asked if there will be official Mod support for SimCity 2013 the Maxis creative director of SimCity, Ocean Quigley, answered:

“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. 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.”

No explanation was given when Mod support would become available, or even ‘if ever’, but the logical explanation as to why Mod support isn’t there at launch is because of time constraints on the development team, or that the publisher first wanted to sell add-on DLC to expand the cities after launch. Only time will tell which it is, but it’s probably both, since they like DLC sales and at the same time know that the Modding community kept SimCity 4 alive for 10 years.

For now we’ll have to be content with the new multiplayer features. Here’s how being connected online constantly adds new content to the game:

“SimCity save-files live on the cloud, so you can play your cities anywhere you play the game! The team at Maxis will upload a steady stream of new challenges – even some based on real world events. New content such as extra missions and achievements, or new Ploppables will become available as your game automatically updates to ensure you are playing the latest version, while preserving your existing city. You can also compete directly in SimCity with friends and gamers around the world on global leaderboards, or check their live status on SimCity.com.”

Here’s a funny live-action TV commercial for SimCity 2013 that shows what’s available at launch:

Quote via: Joystiq

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