Playfish ‘taking on CityVille with SimCity’

EA is to resurrect the SimCity IP in a new assault on the Zynga stronghold, MCV understands.

MCV sources say EA’s thriving Playfish division is building a new SimCity title for the Facebook platform – taking a once-strong IP out from three years of dormancy.

Electronic Arts, itself undertaking a huge transformation into digital, purchased Playfish late in 2009 in a deal worth as much as $400 million.

Playfish’s biggest rival, Zynga, coincidentally has achieved untold fortune partly due to the SimCity game model it uses in games like CityVille.

Early in the year, CityVille reached the most monthly active users for any application ever on Facebook.

Electronic Arts, now a keen advocate of the social games business, sees an opportunity in building what could become the first major rival to the CityVille business.

MCV also reports details that EA is to shortly announce a new game based on the Simpsons licence.