Will Wright
Game designer who created SimCity and The Sims
- Age
- 66 yrs
- Birthday in 76 days
- Works listed
- 2
- Video game
- Honours
- 1
- Most recent 2001
- Profile views
- 0
- 0 followers
Will Wright is an American game designer who co-founded Maxis and created SimCity and The Sims, simulation games with no fixed goal. The Sims became one of the best-selling PC game franchises in history.
Biography
Background
Wright studied architecture and mechanical engineering at several universities without graduating. He was fascinated by robots and urban planning.
SimCity
While designing levels for his first game, Raid on Bungeling Bay (1984), he enjoyed building cities more than bombing them. He developed SimCity, released by Maxis, which he co-founded with Jeff Braun, in 1989.
The Sims
After losing his home in a 1991 Oakland fire, he thought about rebuilding a life, which inspired The Sims (2000), a game about virtual people’s daily lives. Electronic Arts bought Maxis in 1997.
Spore and beyond
He created Spore (2008) and left EA in 2009 to found the Stupid Fun Club. He later worked on Proxi, an AI-based memory game.
Timeline
-
1960
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States
-
1984
Raid on Bungeling Bay
-
1987
Co-founds Maxis
-
1989
SimCity
-
1997
EA buys Maxis
-
2000
The Sims
-
2008
Spore
-
2009
Leaves EA
Notable works
-
1989
SimCity Video game
-
2000
The Sims Video game
Awards and honours
-
Game Developers Choice Lifetime Achievement Award
2001
Did you know?
-
1
He has competed in robot combat competitions.
-
2
The Sims was inspired partly by losing his house in a fire.
-
3
He was the first game designer honoured with a BAFTA Fellowship.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Will Wright?
Will Wright is an American game designer who co-founded Maxis and created SimCity and The Sims, simulation games with no fixed goal. The Sims became one of the best-selling PC game franchises in history.
How old is Will Wright?
Will Wright is 66 years old, born on 20 January 1960 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
Where is Will Wright from?
Will Wright was born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
What is Will Wright known for?
Will Wright is best known for Co-founding Maxis; SimCity (1989); The Sims (2000); Spore.
What awards has Will Wright received?
Notable honours include Game Developers Choice Lifetime Achievement Award (2001).
References
- Will Wright (game designer) — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Will Wright (game designer) — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Will Wright (game designer) — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Will Wright (game designer) (Q309493) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Will Wright (game designer)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Will Wright.” TrackFame, last updated 4 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/will-wright
Discussion 0
Sign in or create an account to join the discussion.
No comments yet — be the first.
More in Technology
Technology
Sachin Bansal
Co-founder of Flipkart and founder of Navi
Born 1981
Technology
Satya Nadella
Chairman and CEO of Microsoft
Born 1967
Technology
Nandan Nilekani
Infosys co-founder and architect of Aadhaar
Born 1955
Technology
Ritesh Agarwal
Founder of the hotel chain OYO
Technology
Vijay Shekhar Sharma
Founder of the digital payments company Paytm
Born 1978
Technology
Nithin Kamath
Co-founder of the discount brokerage Zerodha
Born 1979