THE SIMS
Reimagining an Iconic World for the Next Generation
Associate Director, External Development | EA Maxis
A Player, Then a Steward
I have been playing The Sims since I was twelve years old, so when I say I don't take this lightly, I mean it personally.
I first worked on The Sims as an animator on Sims 4: Seasons. When I returned to the studio in 2023, I came back to lead animation external development for what would become the next generation of the franchise. That scope has grown steadily since. Today I oversee the full art and animation external development function across The Sims 4 — the Maxis legacy product, currently in its own significant evolution — alongside the work shaping what comes next.
Being trusted with a franchise this large, this loved, and this actively evolving is not something I take for granted. It is also exactly the kind of challenge that energizes me. From the scale to the responsibility of helping something twenty-five years in the making meet its next twenty-five.
Extended case study available by request
IP Stewardship as Creative Decision-Making
In The Sims animation and performance teach players how the world works, through what feels playful, awkward, rewarding, and distinctly Sims. Knowing what must remain consistent and where there's room to grow is the central creative judgment of stewarding an IP at this scale.
The Sims never stops moving. External development is a strategic lever that allow us to keep pace with culture, but only when partner studios have the creative latitude to act on what they're seeing in the world, not just execute the last brief.