The top game designer in the United States - maybe the world - has left one of the biggest publishers in the industry. And he's already got a new job.
Will Wright, famous designer of "Sim City," "The Sims," and "Spore" is leaving Electronic Arts, his publisher announced today. Wright will be running the Stupid Fun Club, an organization he started in 2001 with EA and had used for robot experiments, TV pilots and other offbeat ideas for years.
Wright had been part of EA since the publisher bought Maxis, the studio where Wright made "Sim City" in 1997.
Wright's effectively done at EA today, Lucy Bradshaw, vice president and general manager at Maxis told MTV Multiplayer in an interview about the news earlier today. No one's taken Wright's office yet, but she imagines someone will occupy it. For aspiring Maxis employees with eyes on that space, note that it has windows and –fittingly for Wright - a "smoker's patio."
Wright explained his departure in a press release: "The entertainment industry is moving rapidly into an era of revolutionary change," he said in the release announcing his career change. "Stupid Fun Club will explore new possibilities that are emerging from this sublime chaos and create new forms of entertainment on a variety of platforms. In my twelve years at EA, I've had the pleasure to work alongside some of the brightest and most talented game developers in the industry and I look forward to working with them again in the near future."
http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/04/08/will-wright-leaves-ea/
