Q&A: EA's Bernstein On Building SimCity Societies

The latest title in the Sims dynasty, SimCity Societies, recently saw its worldwide PC release, and Gamasutra spoke to the game's producer, Electronic Arts' Rachel Bernstein, about the creative process that continues to evolve the direction of a familiar series, and considerations for future incarnations.

"When we approached this game, we wanted to do something innovative, and actually be willing to take a departure from the previous SimCities," Bernstein explains. "There were two big differences that we wanted to carve out. One was that we really wanted to work hard on making the game accessible and easy to start playing right away - and, of course, to not lose the depth, and to keep the challenge there so that you still have a deep and replayable game on your hands."

"The second thing is that -- and this is the heart of the design challenge -- we were focused on variety," she continues. "We asked ourselves the question, 'What makes Paris feel different from New York? Why does one city feel different from another?' It's not just the height of the building, or what they're made of, or their style. There's a sort of vibe or soul to a city."