Biography
Will Wright
Chief Designer and Co-founder, Maxis
Will Wright, Maxis’ Chief Designer, co-founded Maxis with Jeff Braun in 1987. Wright began working on what would become SimCity—The City Simulator in 1985. Using a complex technique, he found a way to bring realistic simulations to desktop PCs. Previously simulations of this sort were only available to the military, scientists and academicians. But now, using an easy to use graphic interface, the world of simulations opened up to consumers.
Wright has had a lifelong fascination with simulations. His interest in plastic models of ships and airplanes during his childhood in Georgia eventually led to his designing computer models of cities, ecosystems and ant colonies.
SimCity was released in 1989, and within a few months became a hit. The game has since won 24 domestic and international awards. With Fred Haslem, Wright co-designed SimEarth—The Living Planet in 1990, a simulation of a planet based on the Gaia theory of James Lovelock. In 1991, Wright and Justin McCormick designed SimAnt—The Electronic Ant Colony, a scientifically-accurate simulation of an ant colony. SimCity 2000 and SimCopter, a helicopter flight game, are Wright’s most recent releases. Taking computer entertainment to its most personal level yet, Wright’s next game The Sims, puts players in charge of the lives of a neighborhood of simulated people. This highly anticipated title, which Wright has been working on for seven years, is due for release in early 2000.
Wright has become one of the most successful designers of interactive entertainment in the world. In 1999, he was included in Entertainment Weekly’s “It List” of the 100 most creative people in entertainment. However, his interests are not limited to computer games. Each year Wright takes part in the annual Robot Wars contest in San Francisco. His past robots, which do battle with robots designed by other contestants, have taken top honors. Interestingly, it was Wright’s interest in robots that eventually led him into computer programming.