Maxis boss Lucy Bradshaw is leaving the company, EA has announced. In recent years, Bradshaw has been the public face of The Sims and SimCity, and although Maxis will continue to work on The Sims 4 and "some other projects" without her, it will now be operating under the EA Mobile label. Sims 4 executive producer Rachel Franklin is taking Bradshaw's place at Maxis.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson had this to say (thanks, GI.biz):
"Through 23 years with our company, Lucy has brought an incredible passion for games and our player community. I want to thank Lucy for her dedication to EA, her contributions to Maxis, and the creative spirit she infused in every one of her teams and projects. We wish her the best as she takes on her next adventure."
"As we look to the future, we want to expand the scope of opportunity for Maxis to reach more players on PC and mobile, as well as explore cross-platform play. To enable this, we are bringing Maxis together with our mobile teams under [EA Mobile senior vice president] Samantha Ryan's leadership, aligning our strong PC foundation with our mobile expertise. The collaboration between these teams will help us unlock new ways for Maxis IP to connect with players wherever they want to play."
Polygon received this statement from Bradshaw, from an EA representative:
"I've had a wonderful journey at EA and Maxis, filled with amazingly creative people, unforgettable experiences and an inspiring community of players and creators. I have the highest regard for EA's leadership today, their vision and their focus on putting players first. I leave knowing that Maxis is in great hands with a leader and teams who are full of respect for our players, passion for our games, and new ideas to bring to the world of Maxis gamers. I look forward to seeing what's next from these incredible teams, I'll certainly be playing."
EA closed SimCity studio Maxis Emeryville back in March.
