EA: Core problem preventing SimCity playtime 'is almost behind us'

SimCity developer Maxis says it has reduced game crashes by 92 percent since day one and players have connected and clocked more than 8 million hours in-game.

"I'm happy to report that the core problem with getting in and having a great SimCity experience is almost behind us," Maxis General Manager Lucy Bradshaw writes. Bradshaw says the improvements stem from adding new servers, tinkering with their network and issuing client updates, such as Thursday's removal of "non-critical" gameplay features.

"I had hoped to issue an 'All-Clear' tonight, but there are still some elements coming together," Bradshaw says. "Tonight and tomorrow we'll be monitoring each server and gameplay metrics to ensure that the service remains strong and game is playing great. We need a few more days of data before we can assure you that the problem is completely solved and the game is running at 100 percent."

Bradshaw reports "tens of thousands of new players" join SimCity every day. We hope to be one of these players some day soon.