EA apologises for 'SimCity' launch woes
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LOS ANGELES (AP) - The creators of SimCity are hoping players don't move on after connectivity issues plagued the game's launch last week.
The updated edition of the 24-year-old metropolis-building franchise released last Tuesday requires players to be online - even if they're constructing virtual cities in the single-player mode. Several gamers weren't able to log on after SimCity launched, prompting some retailers to stop selling the Electronic Arts Inc. game.
Lucy Bradshaw, general manager at SimCity developer Maxis, said on Friday more want-to-be mayors logged on than they anticipated and that the developers have been increasing server capacity since the snafu.
"More people played and played in ways we never saw in the beta," said Bradshaw. "OK, we agree, that was dumb, but we are committed to fixing it. In the last 48 hours, we increased server capacity by 120 per cent. It's working - the number of people who have gotten in and built cities has improved dramatically."
