Maxis

Maxis Software is an American company that was founded as a video game developer and is now a brand name of Electronic Arts (EA). Maxis' second software title was SimCity, a city simulation and planning game. Maxis is also the creator of the best-selling computer game of all time, The Sims and its sequel The Sims 2 and a title called Spore in which you guide a creature from cell form to smart, developed creatures. These four titles and their related products are the brand's most popular and successful lines.

Most Maxis titles are simulation-based, though none are considered traditional simulations. Maxis founder Will Wright likens them as "digital dollhouses." Maxis has also released games developed by other production houses, such as A-Train and SimTower.

Acquisition by EA

Electronic Arts (EA) completed its acquisition of Maxis on July 28, 1997. EA kept some of the original staff, including Will Wright. Products were shipped under the Maxis logo for several years until 2004, when The Sims 2 had only the Electronic Arts logo on the box cover. As of October 18 2006, with the release of The Sims 2: Pets expansion pack, the Maxis title has been removed from the game's start. Also, up until The Sims 2: FreeTime, the logo of Maxis was used for a button in the Options panel of the game to display the credits. In FreeTime, the Maxis logo was replaced by a symbol of the Sims plumbob.