Given that Maxis is practically gone, and even before that Will Wright had practically abandoned the concept, I think its time to explore making something like Sim Earth, which is one of the most ambitious grand strategy titles ever conceived. The game models from lifeless planet, to the first seeds of life and atmosphere, to animal life, then sentient and civilization. This was originally done in an elegant, simple way, that was very clever.



It need not be a sort of Europa Universalis set in "Genesis 1:1" (not literally) as some, myself included, have suggested. But an exercise in modeling climatology and a very linear concept of evolution, in a fun way. Of course, it would need some cool self-made disasters like taking away your planets atmosphere through teraforming and watching everything horribly die.



Anyway, I'd love to see a revitalisation of something like Sim Earth, especially seeing as how nobody has done it sense, as far as I know.