GDC 2012: New 'SimCity 5' Game Coming in 2013 [TRAILER VIDEO]

As GDC 2012 continues, a new SimCity 5 game unveiled with a trailer video Tuesday by EA Maxis, and due to come out in 2013, has been one of the most significant announcements so far.

SimCity 5, the newest game in the company's megapopular Sim series, will be available on PC starting next year, according to developer EA Maxis, which delighted the video gaming world with the announcement Tuesday at the Game Developers Conference 2012.

Using our proprietary GlassBox Engine, SimCity for PC will equip players with the tools to play the most sophisticated simulation of its kind, Lucy Bradshaw, an EA vice president, said Tuesday at GDC 2012, reported PC Magazine. We are dedicated to making sure the experience - no matter the platform - has the fun, flavor, and playability that has been intrinsic to the franchise since its birth.

The unveiling of the new Sim City 5 game was accompanied by the release of a new trailer which shows the eye-popping graphics and gameplay fans will be able to experience once the game comes out. Scroll to the end of this article to watch the new trailer video.

In SimCity 5, which Maxis calls the true rebirth of the franchise, players will face realistic social issues like climate change and natural disasters, according to PC Magazine.

The SimCity franchise is one of the most successful computer game franchises in history, selling more than 30 million copies since the original debuted in 1989, according to PC Magazine.

The new SimCity game announcement was not unexpected, as rumors about a major EA Maxis announcement were flying during the days leading up to GDC 2012.

The First Sim City 5 screenshots were leaked by the German website Simtimes.de last week, and they showed a range of different images, from action shots to a beautiful view of the architecture the game will feature, stoking fans' enthusiasm in advance of Tuesday's announcement.

EA Maxis has had an extremely successful run with the Sim series, with everything from Sim City 2000 to Sim Farm and the Sims taking the world by storm with each new release.

The rumor mill started churning Feb. 21, when PC Gamer wrote a piece about the fact that EA (Electronic Arts) Senior PR Director Erik Reynolds tweeted on Feb. 15 that Maxis, the megahit game's developer, was going to be announcing something major at GDC 2012:

MORE INFO! EA Maxis GDC announcement, huge event w/ special guests. Live stream info.http://on.fb.me/yJiZ78 #gamechangers, Reynolds wrote.

Though the SimCity titles were not directly referenced, any allusion to a pending announcement by Maxis automatically stokes gamers' hopes that a new SimCity could be on the way, and this one did just that.

PC World writer Tom Senior brought more attention to the pending announcement than Reynolds could, when he posted a short dispatch about the news:

A tweet from EA senior PR Erik Reynolds, noted by CVG, has teased a big Maxis reveal at this year's GDC conference, which is due to kick off in just a few weeks time, Senior wrote. He mentions that more information will be appearing over the next few weeks on the Game Changers Facebook page but there's already rampant speculation suggesting that it'll be a new SimCity ... Anyone up for some more SimCIty?

The PC Gamer article was the second high-profile piece on the topic, coming after an initial dispatch on Feb. 16 by ComputerandVideoGames.com:

EA has promised to announce something new from Maxis at next month's Game Developers Conference, kicking off speculation that a new SimCity might be on the way.

Twitter exploded shortly after Senior's article with posts by users who were excited about any mention of Maxis, as they hope it means there's a new SimCity under development.

Twitter user @HassanMujtaba summed up the sentiment in a Tuesday tweet: SimCity Developers to Announce New Game at GDC 2012, Please let it be SimCity 5 and not that fail Societies series.

Seems he got what he hoped for.

Here's the trailer video released at GDC 2012 on Tuesday introducing the new SimCity 5 game: