SimCity was developed "as a multiplayer title from the ground up," says producer
SimCity's lead producer Kip Katsarelis has explained why the game will always be online, and it has everything to do with the game's multiplayer features.
Speaking in a Q&A following a livestream of the game last night, Katsarelis said the development team created the title with multiplayer in mind from the beginning.
“We really thought about this SimCity as multiplayer from the ground up," he said. "Cities are no longer in a bubble. You can play in a region with other cities, and there’s a lot simulation that’s going on between cities. You can play multiple cities or invite friends into your region and play with others.
“Things like power and water are shared across cities and you can purchase that power. You can share services like fire, education and garbage. You can also gift to one another, so money and resources you can create in your city, and you can also collaborate on great works.
“We have things like international airports that you can work on together and build up, and the airports will actually bring tourists into your region and allow you to ship more freight in and out. There’s just a lot more to do at this macro level of city planning.”
You can watch a replay of the livestream below if you wish.
SimCity and its tie-in SimCity World are due in February 2013
Thanks, PCGamesN.