The Sims developer expands with new studio in Finland

EA Maxis, the studio behind The Sims, Sim City and Spore, has opened a new office in Helsinki, Finland.

The satellite team will focus on producing mobile games in The Sims franchise, and will later perhaps move onto other properties.

Playfish Global Studios vice president Jami Leas will head up the new team, in turn reporting to the EA Maxis label.

The studio has begun recruiting for development and support roles.

"Mobile is a strategic focus for the company and to Maxis as a label. We feel that the talent base in Finland will be a strong complement to our existing mobile expertise based around the world," Maxis general manager Lucy Bradshaw said in a statement.

"The Sims franchise continues to find strong audiences across all platforms and the team we are building in Helsinki will be tasked to maintain our tradition of being some of the most creative game developers on any platform. Welcome to the team."

The Sims has already produced a number of mobile titles including The Sims 2, The Sims 3, and The Sims FreePlay.