Lucy Bradshaw, previously SVP of the Maxis division at EA, has departed the company. After joining EA in 1997, Lucy went on to become a part of the development team for The Sims (among other various projects) and became general manager of Maxis Emeryville in 2008, following the closure of The Sims Online.
Lucy’s departure is the result of an “organisational shake-up” at EA, according to Polygon. As a part of this re-organisation process, Rachel Franklin, VP of The Sims Studio, will take over from Lucy as head of the Maxis division. Rachel will continue to oversee the development of The Sims 4 among other various things, however this will not include The Sims FreePlay or SimCity BuildIt.
Another interesting thing about today’s news is that Maxis has now become a division of EA Mobile, possibly because Maxis games are generally targeted at more “casual” players. EA’s CEO, Andrew Wilson, said in a statement that “we are bringing Maxis together with our mobile teams under Samantha Ryan’s leadership” in order to “expand the scope of opportunity for Maxis to reach more players on PC and mobile, as well as explore cross-platform play”. Furthermore, he commented saying that “the collaboration between these teams will help us unlock new ways for Maxis IP to connect with players wherever they want to play”.
An EA representative reached out to Polygon with a statement from Lucy Bradshaw:
I’ve had a wonderful journey at EA and Maxis, filled with amazingly creative people, unforgettable experiences and an inspiring community of players and creators,” said Bradshaw. “I have the highest regard for EA’s leadership today, their vision and their focus on putting players first. I leave knowing that Maxis is in great hands with a leader and teams who are full of respect for our players, passion for our games, and new ideas to bring to the world of Maxis gamers. I look forward to seeing what’s next from these incredible teams, I’ll certainly be playing.
– Lucy Bradshaw, Former SVP of Maxis
It will be strange to not see Lucy Bradshaw involved with Maxis in some way, however it’s good to know that her duties are in good hands with Rachel Franklin. I am also interested to see how Maxis IP will be used now that Maxis is a division of EA Mobile, sadly instead of it’s own label like it was before Maxis Emeryville closed earlier this year.
We wish all the best to Lucy in whatever role she pursues next and we want to thank her for all of her passion towards Maxis franchises, including The Sims and SimCity, over the years.
