THE BUZZ: The new SimCity game will require a constant Internet connection in order to play.

Lead designer Stone Librande told Joystiq that players will need to be connected to Origin while playing due to the game’s focus on multiplayer and regional impact. Also all players will be able to influence the global economy, so a constant connection is needed for updates.

EGM’s TAKE: If there’s one thing that we’ve learned over the years, it’s that players hate being forced to stay online while playing. People are not going to be happy about a constant Internet connection being required to play SimCity. We’re not quite sure why in this day and age. Pretty much every gamer is connected to the Internet 24/7 anyway. It appears that always-online is the future of PC gaming.

Source: Joystiq