Sims developer Maxis is recruiting for a new IP

EA Maxis, the studio behind the acclaimed Sims franchise, is working on a brand new IP, according to the developer's own job listings on the EA Careers website.  

First spotted by a user on Reddit, a number of vacancies at EA Maxis reveal that the studio is developing a "new, unannounced title", which it refers to as its "next big production", asking for people specifically experienced in creating "excellent user experiences for new IP".

Sadly, not much else information is provided on what this new project might be, though the listings seem to emphasis the development of "real-world visual effects", including "smoke, fire, clouds, water, steam, and explosions."

There's also mention of "launching a live service" which, given EA's history on the likes of Anthem,  probably doesn't sound like good news to longtime Maxis fans. Here's hoping that experience means it can avoid having another SimCity on its hands. 

Interestingly, we've had more than enough rumours to all but confirm that The Sims 5 is also in development, so it's unclear whether this new IP will have any relation to that sequel, or if this is indeed an entirely separate project. Given the release of PS5 and Xbox Series X later this year, can we also expect a next-gen console port? Hopefully we'll find out soon enough. 

For more, check out all the biggest new games of 2020 to keep an eye on, or watch our latest episode of Dialogue Options below.