SimCity Will Allow Mods

Almost a year after the game hit digital and in-store retailers, SimCity will finally support mods. EA and developer Maxis made the announcement in an official blog, but even that announcement was not without its own restrictions.

First, the good news. As the blog post states, Maxis is in full support of any modifications to SimCity be they add-ons, new content, UI tweaks, or updates that use content like code, art, footage, etc. Moreover, as long as the modder has an authorized copy of SimCity they are granted a license to use, display, and share their SimCity modded content.

Before gamers get too excited, however, there are a few caveats to the mod announcement. For starters, EA and Maxis request that modders not use any music file from SimCity in their mods. Obviously, they have the right to revoke this modding license for any reason, but use of the game's music seems to be the biggest deal breaker.

Additionally, Maxis asks that modders not charge for the use of their mods to keep in the spirit of the community. There are plenty of legal reasons outlined on the blog, but the basic gist is that SimCity is still an EA product and they'd like to keep it that way.

Aside from those two details, the mod support message appears to be fairly accommodating. Obviously, such a message from Maxis has been a long time coming, as the SimCity mod community has been around since launch, but better late than never right?

Similarly, although Maxis is coming out in favor of the mod community they have yet to provide any SimCity mod tools. For the time being, mods will likely have to come from those who have already been modding the simulation game.

For most, unfortunately, this will still be too little too late for a game that launched with far too many problems and couldn't right the ship quick enough. It all started with the game's always online requirements but spread into SimCity's core makeup, specifically its limited city size and odd region mechanic.

So, regardless of the updates, SimCity is still, at its core, a game that many fans were turned off by. But, the forthcoming deluge of mods might be the answer players have been waiting for.

Are you glad that EA and Maxis are finally "supporting" the mod community? Will this get you to return to SimCity?

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Source: SimCity Blog