SimCity gets launch window, new gameplay trailer, Facebook spin-off

EA has confirmed a February 2013 launch window for the new SimCity, which isn’t actually a proper launch date, but it’ll have to make do for now. Besides, that gives me time to dust off my PC and get it ready.

The publisher also announced the (inevitable, I suppose) Facebook spin-off, SimCity Social, but according to the trailer, you get to be evil so it’s okay. I always wanted to be an evil mayor, because maintaining all those schools and community improvement projects and emergency response teams is such a chore. There’s really no city like a dystopian city – it’s true, because I saw it in Nineteen Eighty-Four.

According to the official press blurb:

In SimCity Social, there are no set linear paths to follow; cities evolve as a direct result of player-driven choice allowing for more creative freedom. As mayor, players will deal with unforeseen issues like fires, crime and pollution, and will make crucial decisions that will help them discover how their cities take shape. Social interactions in SimCity Social go far beyond just visiting friends’ cities or using them as resources to complete tasks. Players can choose to build friendly relationships with other cities or form an intense rivalry through a dynamic and ever-evolving friend and foe system. With multiple options for city growth, unexpected gameplay events that shape the destiny of the city, and city-to-city relationships, players will see recognizable changes that bring forth aesthetic and gameplay alterations based on the decisions made in the game – for better or for worse.

I hope that includes my very own Ministry of Love. Oh squee.

Check out the latest SimCity screenshots, and stay tuned to MyGaming for all the E3 coverage as it unfolds.

Check out the trailer for the upcoming SimCity, as well as the forthcoming social game:

SimCity gameplay trailer: