SimCity Dev Defends Always-On Internet Requirement

SimCity developer Maxis is defending the upcoming game's always-on internet requirement. 

News that the upcoming city simulation would require permanent access to the internet raised the ire of more than a few PC gamers, who questioned why such a requirement was necessary—if not as an attempt to prevent the game from being pirated.

Maxis producer Jason Haber told Eurogamer that the game is being built from the ground-up as a multiplayer game.

"I'm not surprised we're getting some reaction like this," he said. "But I think once people see it in action – and at E3 we're really looking forward to showing people multiplayer and how it works – hopefully that will show them why it's such a great feature and it's totally worth having.

"The benefit you're going to get out of being able to play online is going to help convince you of why it's worth it."

The developer insists that the decision was driven by the developers for gameplay-specific reasons, and inferred that it was not developed as a countermeasure to piracy or used games.

"It's a design choice on how to make the game feel more like a real city, right? And real cities don't exist in bubbles that nobody else has any influence in. City actions affect other cities, and other cities affect them."

Assuming the flames don't drive the developers into hiding, SimCity is expected to see release in 2013. It is exclusive to the PC.