The sprawling, must-read history of Maxis’ former “serious games” division
Until someone emerges with SimRefinery's original code, this ancient title screen—and today's massive feature about its history—is all Maxis Business Simulations left the world. (credit: Thinking Tools, Inc.)
At Ars Technica, when we notice multiple staffers go silent at the same time to read another site's article in its entirety, that flips a rare switch: time to tell our readers to click somewhere other than Ars (perish the thought) and give someone else some much-deserved clicks.
Today's jaw-dropping, gotta-read-it candidate comes from a rarity in the modern publishing world: a self-published, years-in-the-making report on the history of a major, long-shuttered game studio from the glory days of early '90s computer games. In other words, it's our jam.
Specifically, this feature—written and researched by Washington, DC-based reporter, game historian, and librarian Phil "Shadsy" Salvador—covers the life and death of Maxis Business Simulations (MBS), which began life in 1992 as an official division of the game studio behind SimCity. After four years of reporting, Salvador has emerged with insights and quotes from every major player (meaning, yes, SimCity creator Will Wright is here). Crucially, the article includes a wealth of stories and insights gathered from MBS co-founder John Hiles, who passed away in 2016.
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