SimCity

1989video game franchiseclassic

Published September 27, 2026

SimCity is a city-building simulation franchise designed by Will Wright at Maxis and first released in 19891. The name later became internet shorthand for endless open-ended tasks and always-online DRM after the 2013 reboot's server meltdown wrecked its launch4.

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Overview

'To simcity someone' entered slang as a way to describe piling on a task with no visible end, mirroring the game's open-ended loop of building without a win condition5. 'SimCity DRM' also stuck as a mocking label for single-player games that demand a constant online connection, named directly after the 2013 reboot's always-online requirement5.

The 2013 title produced the loudest meme cycle. Buyers who paid full price sat in server queues on release day, error screenshots ran across forums, and Amazon reviews stacked up one-star protests. Older entries like SimCity 2000 and SimCity 4 stayed alive on community sites through mods and elaborate city screenshots.

Origin & Background

Platform
PC / video game franchise
Creator
Will Wright
Date
1989

The first SimCity shipped in 1989, designed by Will Wright and published by Maxis3. Wright built the concept from a map editor he had written for the 1984 shooter Raid on Bungeling Bay, deciding that placing buildings was more fun than blowing them up2.

The fifth mainline entry, simply named SimCity, was announced at the Game Developers Conference on March 6, 2012, with two gameplay trailers at E3 2012 and closed beta invitations opening that August4. Its March 5, 2013 launch collapsed under server outages that locked out solo players and drew scathing reviews.

How It Spread

The franchise built a dedicated fandom over two decades through fan-run sites like Simtropolis, the SimCity Wiki, and SimCity Fan Site, where city plans, mods, and old-title screenshots still trade2. Older entries kept a slow, steady presence long after the last mainline game shipped.

In October 2011, The Huffington Post ran a comparison between Herman Cain's '9-9-9' presidential tax plan and the default tax rate settings in SimCity 4, and the joke spread through political blogs4. The 2013 launch disaster later handed gamers the term 'SimCity DRM' as an insult for any single-player release tethered to a login server5.

How to Use This Meme

The slang works two ways. 'Don't simcity me' pushes back on someone assigning a task with no clear end, echoing the game's endless build loop5. 'SimCity DRM' shows up in gaming complaints whenever a single-player title requires an internet connection, used as an insult tied to the 2013 launch failure5.

Frequently Asked Questions