▲
2
▼
In the original release of the game, the monster that the player could summon to attack the city was a thinly veiled parody of Godzilla, right down to using the character's iconic roar from the film series; the sound effect is even named "God" in the game's files, furthering the reference. The Godzilla parody is also depicted on the game's box art, gleefully waving at the viewer.
According to programmer Don Hopkins, who notably ported SimCity to numerous versions of Unix, Maxis ended up getting sued by Toho, the owners of the Godzilla franchise; additional details were recounted to him by Maxis CEO Jeff Braun:
As a result of this suit, the monster was redesigned in the v1.2 release to resemble a giant orange salamander. The creature's roar is also changed and the game's box art is redesigned to replace the Godzilla parody with a tornado. In the v1.3 release, the salamander is given a slightly larger and more detailed sprite to fit the revised art style, but its roar (now internally renamed "Monster") is corrupted.
According to programmer Don Hopkins, who notably ported SimCity to numerous versions of Unix, Maxis ended up getting sued by Toho, the owners of the Godzilla franchise; additional details were recounted to him by Maxis CEO Jeff Braun:
"We never referred to the name Godzilla, our monster on the box cover was a T-Rex looking character, but... a few magazine reviews called the monster, Godzilla. That was all it took. Toho called it "confusion in the marketplace". We paid $50k for Godzilla to go away. In all honesty, Toho liked Maxis, they said $50k was the minimum they take for Godzilla infringement."
As a result of this suit, the monster was redesigned in the v1.2 release to resemble a giant orange salamander. The creature's roar is also changed and the game's box art is redesigned to replace the Godzilla parody with a tornado. In the v1.3 release, the salamander is given a slightly larger and more detailed sprite to fit the revised art style, but its roar (now internally renamed "Monster") is corrupted.
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/SimCity_(Mac_OS_Classic)#Godzilla_vs._Notzilla
Don Hopkins testimony in a Hacker News post:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40050799
MobyGames gallery showcasing the different box art designs:
https://www.mobygames.com/game/848/simcity/covers/
https://tcrf.net/SimCity_(Mac_OS_Classic)#Godzilla_vs._Notzilla
Don Hopkins testimony in a Hacker News post:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40050799
MobyGames gallery showcasing the different box art designs:
https://www.mobygames.com/game/848/simcity/covers/
Related Games
SimCity
SimCity 4
SimCity 2000
SimCity 3000
SimCity 64
SimCopter
SimCopter 64
Worms Armageddon
Legoland
Sonic Advance
Theme Park
The Revenge of the Smurfs
Doom II: Hell on Earth
Mad Professor Mariarti
Sid Meier's Civilization III
Wing Commander
King's Quest VIII: The Mask of Eternity
Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny
Nickelodeon Party Blast
Looney Tunes Collector: Alert!
Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar
The Sims 4
Putt-Putt Goes to the Moon
Taz Express
Taz: Wanted
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
Loons: The Fight for Fame
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders
River City Ransom
Alone in the Dark
Populous
The Sims
The Sims 2
Full Tilt! Pinball
Wolfenstein 3D
Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku
The Smurfs
Spore
Lemmings
The Urbz: Sims in the City
Sonic Mega Collection
Battle Chess
Quest 64
Continuum
Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive
Vegas Stakes
Monopoly
Sonic Advance 2
Spore Creature Keeper