Game Informer have posted up an interview with lead producer Kip Katsarelis that focuses on the new SimCity’s controversial online multiplayer. Take a gander:

Can you give us a general overview of what the multiplayer component of SimCity is and your goals for it?
Multiplayer is a key focus of SimCity, and players are part of the SimCity world. Everything you do at your city level and your region level bubbles up, and you’re all connected through leaderboards, through global markets, and through challenges that you can compete in.

Cities in a region work together on what we call “great works.” For E3, we had a great work – the international airport – that we showed off. There are three cities in that region, and in SimCity, cities can specialize. So there’s going to be several archetypes of cities you can build. There’s the tourist city, which is going to be really focused on bringing tourists into your city. And there are leaderboards tied to each one of these city archetypes.

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