SimRefinery (found Chevron exclusive PC management simulation game; 1993)

Title screen.

Status: Found

Date found: 05 Jun 2020

Found by: Anonymous

In 1992, video game developer Maxis, known most notably for SimCity and other simulator games, developed a simulator in conjunction with Chevron to be used as a training module for chemical engineers at a California oil refinery called SimRefinery. The game was considered lost for many years as it was relatively unsuccessful and an incomplete prototype with a limited release, causing it to be discontinued and never fully finished or implemented.

Discovery

On January 5th, 2020, Ars Technica reported that a user from their website had a copy of SimRefinery they had received from a friend that served as a chemical engineer at Chevron in the 1990s. The user was apparently unaware of the notoriety of SimRefinery, making an account on Ars Technica in response to a previous article written by the publication on the status of the lost game. SimRefinery was converted from its original 3.5-inch "floppy" disc format into an installer package and uploaded to archive.org on June 5th, 2020 and is available for download.

Physical Description

The original 3.5-inch disc of SimRefinery seems relatively unremarkable, with no kind of unique art, font, or other physical properties. The disc itself is a light-gray color with a plain white label on its front. The label reads "SimRefinery(TM)" in Times New Roman font near the top with a plain black Maxis logo in its bottom left corner. Given that this game was an unfinished prototype with a very narrow use, the plain look of the disc is unsurprising.

Gallery

The original SimRefinery floppy disc.

See Also

• SimCity (found build of cancelled NES port of PC city-building simulation game; 1991)
• SimCity 3000 (lost pre-release 3D version of city simulator; 1997)
• SimCity 4 (lost alpha and beta builds of simulation game; 2002)
• SimCopter 64 (lost build of cancelled Nintendo 64DD remake of PC game; 1997-1999)
• SimMars (lost build of cancelled strategy/simulation game; 2000)
• The Sims 4 (unresurfaced prototypes of simulator game; 2008-2014)
• SimsVille (lost build of cancelled "SimCity" and "The Sims" PC crossover game; 2000-2001)