Maxis is an American video game development studio and subsidiary of Electronic Arts. The studio is best known for the life simulation game series SimCity and The Sims. Since 2014, Maxis has developed Star Wars-themed content for The Sims 4, with a series of free updates adding wearable costumes and a decorative statue while a downloadable content pack, Journey to Batuu, added hundreds of themed Star Wars items as well as entire locations and storylines in 2020.
Maxis was founded in 1987 by Will Wright and Jeff Braun. The company was initially created to be a publishing vehicle for the first SimCity video game, but soon began to develop further titles. On July 28, 1997, Maxis was officially acquired by Electronic Arts and began to function as a subsidiary studio within the company. After the acquisition, Maxis became known for The Sims franchise. Since 2004, Maxis has operated a studio out of Electronic Arts' offices in Redwood Shores, California. In 2015, the facility became the company's headquarters.
Player-created characters or "sims" wearing licensed Star Wars costumes designed by Maxis
On May 6, 2013, Disney and Electronic Arts jointly announced that Electronic Arts would hold exclusive rights to make Star Wars video games for the next several years. After the release of The Sims 4 on September 2, 2014, Maxis began adding Star Wars-themed content to the game in a series of free updates.
In October 2014, as part of a Halloween-themed update to The Sims 4, Maxis released costumes of characters Princess Leia Organa, Darth Vader, and Yoda, as well as a Rebellion flight suit. In celebration of May 4th, Maxis released additional costumes of characters Boba Fett, Darth Maul, and Aayla Secura in 2015. In June 2016, a content update added additional gender neutral and LGBTQ+-inclusive versions of the previously released Star Wars costumes. In 2019, a statue of the character Grogu was added to the game to celebrate the release of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian.
Many pre-existing Star Wars characters including Rey and Vi Moradi are featured in Journey to Batuu.
On August 27, 2020, Maxis and Electronic Arts announced that Star Wars: Journey to Batuu, a downloadable content pack for The Sims 4, was in development in partnership with Lucasfilm. The title was released on September 8 of the same year.
Journey to Batuu features a recreation of Black Spire Outpost from the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge theme park lands and allows players to explore the planet Batuu, wield lightsabers, build droids, and interact with key characters from the sequel trilogy including Rey and Kylo Ren. Players can also choose to complete special missions for the Resistance, the First Order, or pirates such as Hondo Ohnaka.
- The Sims 4
- The Sims 4 Star Wars: Journey to Batuu