Uploaded January 2019 | Updated September 2026, 12 hours ago
Did you know that SimCity was almost released on the Nintendo Entertainment System? Find out about this cancelled prototype, what it would have looked like as well as where you can play it right now on this edition of Friday Night Arcade.
Subscribe ► goo.gl/DLQ3pe
SUPPORT FRIDAY NIGHT ARCADE ON PATREON
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SimCity was written and developed by Will Wright of Broaderbund. It was originally conceptualized and developed for the Commodore 64 in 1985, but Broaderbund did not think the game would sell and ultimately the project was shelved until the end of the decade. Will Wright met up with Jeff Braun and the two decided to form their own company, Maxis. A deal was eventually struck between Maxis and Broaderbund to publish the city simulation game in 1989 for various computer platforms as well as the C64. The game went on to sell over a million units and due to the game's success, Will Wright was contacted by Nintendo.
Shigeru Miyamoto personally flew to California to meet up with Will Wright and Maxis and discuss publishing the SimCity game on Nintendo hardware. A deal was struck and SimCity was eventually published on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System with much success. However, a prototype was initially in development for the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System.
In a late 1990 issue of Nintendo Power, SimCity on the NES was featured in the upcoming games section and a Spring 1991 release was teased. The article also featured two screenshots. A playable NES version of the city simulator was also featured at the 1991 Winter Consumer Electronics show and footage of NES SimCity in action was featured on an episode of Video Power. Host Johnny Arcade is seen playing the game and describes how it works.
However, the 8-bit version of SimCity was quietly cancelled and the 16-bit version was released on SNES instead. The NES version of SimCity was shelved never to be heard from again in any official capacity until a 2006 issue of Nintendo Power in which one of the editors mentioned he had a working prototype sitting on his desk. Unfortunately, there was no mention again of it for over a decade until August of 2017 when a retro games store owner out of Seattle spoke out that two prototypes of the game had wandered into his store.
A video published on YouTube and Nintendo Age showed the prototypes to indeed be SimCity on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The prototypes were auctioned off at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo. One copy went to a private collector while the other was purchased, thankfully, by a founding member of the Video Game History Foundation, Steve Lin. Steve made an agreement with VGHF Owner Frank Cifaldi to dump the ROM from the prototype cartridge so that it could be examined, preserved and ultimately made public for the retro gaming community to see. Thankfully Lin swooped in to make this last minute deal so that SimCity on the NES would not be lost once again to history.
A special digital archive of SimCity on the NES including the ROM, soundtrack, source code and press documentation can be downloaded on VGHF here:
► archive.org/details/simcity-nes/page/n1
WORKS CITED
► gamehistory.org/simcity
► nintendoage.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&blog_Id=1&Id=1754
► youtube.com/watch?v=AfJgZI9C2nk
► youtube.com/watch?v=4TYmxR2lsvQ
► facebook.com/Backintime2playlive
► youtube.com/watch?v=V7-M_LcqJsc
► kotaku.com/lost-nes-version-of-simcity-emerges-after-27-years-1831308462
► arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/12/you-can-now-download-the-long-lost-and-unfinished-simcity-nes-port
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1717 W Kirby Ave
Box 242
Champaign, IL 61821
aaron@fridaynightarcade.com
Starter Pack ► youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdGtTWqCEvuLZFY5Oa40nT4tfSx_owD47
Every Episode ► youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdGtTWqCEvuK34z6rcPk28qO9Qdx_v4X8
Merch ► youtube.com/c/FridayNightArcade/store
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Did you know that SimCity was almost released on the Nintendo Entertainment System? Find out about this cancelled prototype, what it would have looked like as well as where you can play it right now on this edition of Friday Night Arcade.
Subscribe ► goo.gl/DLQ3pe
SUPPORT FRIDAY NIGHT ARCADE ON PATREON
► patreon.com/fridaynightarcade
SimCity was written and developed by Will Wright of Broaderbund. It was originally conceptualized and developed for the Commodore 64 in 1985, but Broaderbund did not think the game would sell and ultimately the project was shelved until the end of the decade. Will Wright met up with Jeff Braun and the two decided to form their own company, Maxis. A deal was eventually struck between Maxis and Broaderbund to publish the city simulation game in 1989 for various computer platforms as well as the C64. The game went on to sell over a million units and due to the game's success, Will Wright was contacted by Nintendo.
Shigeru Miyamoto personally flew to California to meet up with Will Wright and Maxis and discuss publishing the SimCity game on Nintendo hardware. A deal was struck and SimCity was eventually published on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System with much success. However, a prototype was initially in development for the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System.
In a late 1990 issue of Nintendo Power, SimCity on the NES was featured in the upcoming games section and a Spring 1991 release was teased. The article also featured two screenshots. A playable NES version of the city simulator was also featured at the 1991 Winter Consumer Electronics show and footage of NES SimCity in action was featured on an episode of Video Power. Host Johnny Arcade is seen playing the game and describes how it works.
However, the 8-bit version of SimCity was quietly cancelled and the 16-bit version was released on SNES instead. The NES version of SimCity was shelved never to be heard from again in any official capacity until a 2006 issue of Nintendo Power in which one of the editors mentioned he had a working prototype sitting on his desk. Unfortunately, there was no mention again of it for over a decade until August of 2017 when a retro games store owner out of Seattle spoke out that two prototypes of the game had wandered into his store.
A video published on YouTube and Nintendo Age showed the prototypes to indeed be SimCity on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The prototypes were auctioned off at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo. One copy went to a private collector while the other was purchased, thankfully, by a founding member of the Video Game History Foundation, Steve Lin. Steve made an agreement with VGHF Owner Frank Cifaldi to dump the ROM from the prototype cartridge so that it could be examined, preserved and ultimately made public for the retro gaming community to see. Thankfully Lin swooped in to make this last minute deal so that SimCity on the NES would not be lost once again to history.
A special digital archive of SimCity on the NES including the ROM, soundtrack, source code and press documentation can be downloaded on VGHF here:
► archive.org/details/simcity-nes/page/n1
WORKS CITED
► gamehistory.org/simcity
► nintendoage.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&blog_Id=1&Id=1754
► youtube.com/watch?v=AfJgZI9C2nk
► youtube.com/watch?v=4TYmxR2lsvQ
► facebook.com/Backintime2playlive
► youtube.com/watch?v=V7-M_LcqJsc
► kotaku.com/lost-nes-version-of-simcity-emerges-after-27-years-1831308462
► arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/12/you-can-now-download-the-long-lost-and-unfinished-simcity-nes-port
Subscribe ► youtube.com/fridaynightarcade?sub_confirmation=1
Patreon ► patreon.com/fridaynightarcade
MORE FRIDAY NIGHT ARCADE
FNA After Hours ► youtube.com/fridaynightarcadeafterhours
Twitter ► twitter.com/FNArcade
Instagram ► instagram.com/fridaynightarcade
Web ► fridaynightarcade.com
Twitch ► twitch.tv/fridaynightarcade
Facebook ► facebook.com/FridayNightArcade
CONTACT
Friday Night Arcade, LLC
1717 W Kirby Ave
Box 242
Champaign, IL 61821
aaron@fridaynightarcade.com
Starter Pack ► youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdGtTWqCEvuLZFY5Oa40nT4tfSx_owD47
Every Episode ► youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdGtTWqCEvuK34z6rcPk28qO9Qdx_v4X8
Merch ► youtube.com/c/FridayNightArcade/store
Amazon Merch ►amazon.com/s?rh=n%3A7141123011%2Cp_4%3AFriday+Night+Arcade
