SimCity lead leaves to start Jellygrade

The creative director on Maxis’ 2013 SimCity, Ocean Quigley, is leaving the studio to found his own independent studio along with fellow SimCity developers.

Quigley revealed the news about his new studio, Jellygrade, on Twitter. Lead architect Andrew Willmott and lead gameplay engineer Dan Moskowitz will be joining him at the studio.

Jellygrade will be focusing on making simulation games in the spirit of the team’s previous work at EA.

“We love simulations,” Quigley tweeted. “After 17 years [on SimCity] it was time for something new.”

Jellygrade’s first game is being designed for iPad with plans to bring it to other platforms later. It is billed as “a simulation about the dawn of life on earth; about lava, water, rock and the emergence of the first primordial creatures,” Quigley explained.