Celebrating 25 Years of The Sims: Morgan Henry

For the past 25 years, our team has poured its passion into deep, thoughtful, and authentic experiences that reflect life’s many possibilities (as well as a few fantastical possibilities we wish existed). But life, as it turns out, is pretty darn big, which is why we’re constantly introducing new content and features to expand The Sims universe into a story-telling platform that’s representative of its community. 

As part of our ongoing birthday celebration, we’re talking to our team members about the most meaningful projects they’ve been a part of since joining The Sims family and exploring the ways in which their unique perspectives have informed the features and updates we’ve added over the past 25 years. Today, we’ll hear from Morgan Henry, a Maxis producer and avowed werewolf fan who's been with the team since 2018.

What was your first role on The Sims, and how has it changed over time?

I joined the Maxis team in early 2018 during the development of The Sims 4 Seasons Expansion Pack. I was a quality assurance tester at a different studio, and I remember watching Sims 4 producers livestream The Sims and talk about their jobs. I thought "producer" at Maxis was the coolest sounding job in the world, and it became my dream – so I'm super fortunate my dream came true!

When I was hired, I started as an assistant producer. I did a lot of the color/category tagging for Create a Sim and Build Mode, helped with Gallery Uploads, and served as the feature-team producer on smaller features. These days, I'm a producer. I've worked as the lead producer on Sims 4 Werewolves and Life & Death; I mentor and train new producers; and I still regularly work on feature teams as a feature-producer (which is always a blast). Production at Maxis is uniquely creative compared to production elsewhere, and I've always loved that! No two days are ever the same, so I'm always learning new skills.

What’s the first thing you worked on?

My first feature was something we internally called "Scrooge Stories," which are the silly ways you can sabotage our Sims 4 Season Holidays. For example: turning off the TV during the New Year's Eve Countdown or getting into a fight with Father Winter or the Flower Bunny. I'm a chaotic player at home, so I had a blast working on those features. Anything that adds drama and mayhem to The Sims is always fun to work on for me.

What’s the most meaningful thing you’ve worked on and why?

I could answer this question in a lot of different ways! The Sims 4 Werewolves was very meaningful to me because it was the first pack I led, so it has a special place in my heart. I'm so proud of that team and the pack itself. But I think the work I've done with community lot building has been meaningful in a more impactful way. I was the second producer to get to work with community members outside of our studio to build lots for an in-game world. I helped refine the process for how that works, overcame some really challenging hurdles, which helped me grow as a producer.

The impact was that people who've played The Sims their whole lives now get to see their lot builds shipped in the game itself. Sometimes even in trailers! I know, for me, how meaningful it's been to contribute to The Sims' legacy, so to get to help others outside of Maxis do that as well (and then see personally what it means to them) is always such a cool experience. Plus, their builds are amazing and really add to the quality of the game.

How does your personal experience help shape your work?

As a producer, I'm always supposed to be asking, "Is this a good, clear experience? Is this fun for the player?" I've been playing The Sims since I was a kid. I remember bickering with my little sister over whose turn it was to play Sims Bustin' Out on Xbox, and then when I got a laptop, the first game I installed was The Sims 2 and I was so blown away. It's very cool having a job where all that time I've spent playing and loving this game results in me being able to answer those questions on a daily basis.

How important is it for Maxis to allow players to see themselves in The Sims?

Oh, incredibly important! There are so many player stories out there about what this means to people on an individual level, and I think most of us take pride in working for a game that focuses so heavily on a continued effort to provide and improve inclusivity.