EA Unveils The Sims 3 Web Features

So it seems as Drea has an ever growing position in The Sims Division. The Sims 3 site seems to be making quite a leap from the Sims 2 site. The main feature at launc (to me anyway) is the addition of a 2nd town which is downloadable, named Riverview. The new hood is something i'm surprised to see EA doing. Does this mean EPs will expand on the main town, or add their own towns? If so how will the 2nd town integrate into the main experience?

Also on the site you can find the mashup-maker, an exchange (Similar to that of the TS2 Exchange), and the My Sim pages make a return (is that good?). The store also makes a re-appearance (which we had confirmed earlier).

Press Release:

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 30, 2009 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced the robust online and community offerings to The Sims™ 3 game, the highly-anticipated flagship game from the best-selling PC franchise The Sims. In addition to the town included in the game, a second town, Riverview will be available for download from The Sims 3 product website at launch. TheSims3.com also will allow players to create and share their own movies, manage their online content and purchase additional in-game content. The game is set to launch worldwide on the PC, Mac, iPhone™, iPod® touch and mobile devices starting June 2, 2009.

“With such a vibrant and active community as The Sims has, we wanted to build even further on the already immense offline experience, by offering players additional functionality, content and tools available online through the game,” said Ben Bell, Executive Producer of The Sims 3. “One example of the many online tools we’ve added to the game is the Create a Movie tool. Within the game, players can easily set up the camera angle they want, capture in-game footage, play director and producer and then post their movies online to show off to the world.”

Key Online Elements Include:

The Sims 3 Store: Included with purchase of the game is $10 worth of SimPoints, which players receive when they first register their game online at TheSims3.com. They can use their SimPoints towards downloading exclusive in-game items from The Sims 3 Store, to customize their game. For additional items, players can purchase bundles of 500, 1000 and 2000 SimPoints in $USD, EUR, GBP and other major international currencies using a variety of payment methods including international and national credit cards, PayPal, and EA cash cards (in North America only). Whether it’s the must-have new outfit or the latest style of plaid furniture, players have the opportunity to further customize and populate their Sims world with additional items.

Game Launcher: The Game Launcher is the key entry point for players into TheSims3.com community. This hub page connects players to both the Store and the Exchange, and provides them with news and information about game updates. Players can keep track of their downloads, uploads, installs, game updates and their media portfolio that includes the videos and photos they can capture while playing the game. The Game Launcher also alerts players to new content in the store, localized game and store promotions along with relevant updates to the Store and cool new content from the community.

TheSims3.Com Site: With the launch of the game on June 2, the marketing website at TheSims3.com will be replaced with the full community and product site for the game. The site will not only connect players, encourage new ways to be creative in the game, and offer personally relevant information for each use, it also will serve as the hub site where players can share their content with other members, and embed them on social networking sites and blogs.

Key Site Features

The Exchange: Building off of The Sims 2 Exchange’s success of more than 100M downloads, The Sims 3 Exchange highlights featured items, most popular downloads, powerful search and browser capabilities, along with giving players the ability to see what other players are recommending.

Create a Movie and Create a Story: New easily accessible tools inspire creativity and allow players to create movies and stories and then show them off or share them with friends. Players can show off their Movies with the Create a Movie Tool by embedding them on external sites or with an email link back to their Movie on TheSims3.com.

My Page and My Studio: The Sims 3 product site will allow players to maintain their profile pages on their My Page section as well as offering them the new My Studio section to manage all their creations – Movies, stories, Exchange objects. My Page is also a blog space where players can post news, customize it with a personal avatar, track favorites and more. Users can make friends with other The Sims 3 players and share their content across a number of social network sites.

For more information about The Sims 3, go to www.TheSims3.com. The Sims 3, developed by The Sims Studio, is also in development for Mac, iPhone, iPod touch and mobile devices. To download artwork, visit www.info.ea.com. The Sims 3 will be available for purchase at retail and online through digital distribution starting June 2 at http://eastore.ea.com/store/ea/ContentTheme/pbPage.the_sims3/ThemeID.718200.

* INTERNET CONNECTION required. See product pack or digital distribution rules for details.

About The Sims 3

Get inspired by the endless creative possibilities and unexpected moments of surprise and mischief in The Sims 3! Customize your Sims’ appearances and choose up to five traits to create individual personalities. From the “romantic” trait or “kleptomaniac” trait to “evil” trait, create millions of unique Sims from the vast amount of personalities. New goal-oriented game play enables you to choose which short or long-term objectives you want your Sims to pursue and even determine your Sims’ destinies in life. Create and edit your own movies by capturing your gameplay moments or select from a library of clips. Then join The Sims 3 online community where you can show off all of your creations, receive additional content, hear the latest news, and more! Download exclusive content and hear the latest news of The Sims 3 at www.TheSims3.com.

About The Sims

The Sims franchise celebrates an impressive over 100 million units sold since its launch in February 2000. Now translated into 22 different languages and available in 60 different countries, The Sims quickly has become a universal gaming and cultural phenomenon. For the latest information about The Sims and to check out the hottest creations for The Sims 2 made by our community members, please visit www.TheSims2.com.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS^TM, EA^TM, EA SPORTS Freestyle^TM and POGO^TM. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle, POGO and The Sims are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Mac, iPhone, and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Launcher Screenshot:

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Site Changes

So, i have made a few changes to the site today. All of these you can find int he release notes, but i find it important to announce these changes for this time. As you may notice i am switching over to a new signature image at the end of each post, most will have a the speech bubble with "Simmers News" on it, but on occasion i might use another, such as the "Feature" bubble under the poll results. Another thing i have done, is i cleaned up the footer to the site, moving the statcounter button onto the side, as it required a block to itself to function correctly, thus i made the footer much smaller, and compact! Finally, i have added a new way to follow Simmers News, and that is via my Twitter. You can click the little button which is now next to the RSS Feed button on the side Nav bar, and bottom Nav Bar. It keeps the same speech bubble theme, and the same background is used so you don't get to confused. I follow many different game journalists, aswell as Sims fansites, and the like, so you can find them, and follow them too! I know the signitures underneath are ugly, but they will go away as new posts show up, so eventually you won't have to look at them!

The Simmers News Community Forums Launching Soon

I know, i know, i probably shouldn't be launching another section of this site if i can't keep this site up to date, but i promise that over the coming weeks you will see a bunch of new features integrated into Simmers News!

Site News: Commenting

A Reminder to those of who have been with our blog for a while, and those new readers aswell.  PLEASE comment.  This blog thrives on comments like many professional blogs.  We DO NOT and DO NOT PLAN on having a forum at any point.  So Please do Comment!  Obviously keep the comments on the subject of the post.  All comments are moderated, so you will not see your comment up immediatly once it is posted.  So please, Comment!

Site News: Feeds

For those of you interested, we have a feedburner set up, so you can subscribe to the posts, and recieve updates as soon as they are posted!  Simply scroll to the bottom of the blog and click the "Subscribe" button  Then import the feed to the reader of your choice.  This is all run through feedburner!  Comment if you are having issues!

Simmers News Welcomes 2 New Partners!

We are proud to announce 2 new site Partners in iSims3 and SimsMad.

We hope to bringing in more partners as Simmers News grows larger!

Simmers News Upgrades to 1.4

You may have noticed that i am gearing up the site for TS3. I have added several counters to the site (2 in the side Nav, 1 on top). I have also pinned the TS3 Intro to the top of the page so you can always watch it's awesomeness (i reccomend HQ and full-screen if you aren't reading our awesome posts). We are also going to be changing the look a bit over the next week or so. Just keeping everyone informed as to what's up!

MySims Racing Announced!

Well you can officially race MySims around circuits this summer with MySims Racing!







Press Release:

EA Announces Upcoming Titles From the MySims Franchise
Wednesday January 7, 9:00 am ET

MySims Party and MySims Racing for the Wii and Nintendo DS Set to Release in 2009

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS - News), today announced the next two titles to be released within the MySims™ Franchise. MySims™ Party and MySims™ Racing, available for the Wii™ and Nintendo DS™, will release in 2009.

“When we created the MySims world, we believed that the MySims characters could be part of a variety of different gaming experiences. We are thrilled to bring MySims Party and MySims Racing to fans and new players alike,” said Tim LeTourneau, Executive in Charge of Production for MySims. “We’ve had great success with MySims, with both the original game and this fall’s MySims Kingdom. Players have really connected with the characters and now we are giving them two completely new and exciting experiences. We believe that MySims Party and MySims Racing, are great ways to couple the creativity and humor players love about the franchise with great multi-player arcade gameplay.”

MySims Party for the Wii

MySims Party turns any gathering into an instant party with 50 mini games to choose from, each hosted by a different MySim. You and your friends have the chance to Stick the Trick in the extreme snowboarding mini game, outrun a robot in Robo Assault or shake your groove thing with DJ Candy during the Go Go Dancing challenge. Each MySim character brings a unique combination of skill to the mission, with differing levels of endurance, speed and luck giving you the option to choose the best MySim for the task. You can play mini games one right after the other, or you and your friends can compete in a themed festival such as food, music or sports that offers multiple mini games.

MySims Party for the Nintendo DS

Take the mini games with you! MySims Party for the Nintendo DS offers 40 mini games to choose from. These games, specific for the DS, offer hours of entertainment. You can dig up dinosaur fossils during Excavate-a-Saurus, join Goth Boy on a first person shooter mission during Haunted Hunted or rock out with Air-Guitar-Star!

MySims Racing for the Wii

Race to the finish line in MySims Racing! Face a variety of tricky MySim opponents on a huge variety of exotic tracks! Take on up to three friends in intense multiplayer racing. During your race, find awesome power-ups such as the heat-seeking jack-o-lantern pumpkin or a bubble dropper that can help you wreck the competition. There are nearly endless customization options so that your car reflects your high-gear personality. You can swap bodies, change paint jobs and add tons of accessories. Not only can you change the look of your car, you can also improve power, acceleration and handling by mixing and matching engines, suspension and tires.

MySims Racing for the Nintendo DS

Take the race with you! MySims Racing for the Nintendo DS allows you and up to three of your friends to race each other using local wireless or Nintendo Wi-Fi.

MySims Party and MySims Racing were developed at The Sims Studio. MySims Party is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB, 3+ by PEGI, and has an MSRP of $39.99 for the Wii version and $29.99 for the Nintendo DS. MySims Racing has not yet been rated. For more information please visit www.mysims.com. For assets, please visit www.info.ea.com.

About The Sims Franchise

The Sims franchise celebrates an impressive over 100 million units sold since its launch in February 2000. Now translated into 22 different languages in 60 different countries, The Sims has quickly become a universal gaming and cultural phenomenon. For the latest information about The Sims and to check out the hottest creations for The Sims 2 made by our community members, please visit www.thesims2.com. To stay up-to-date on The Sims 3 news and information, check out www.thesims3.com. For information about the MySims franchise, visit www.mysims.com.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS^TM, EA^TM, EA SPORTS Freestyle^TM and POGO^TM. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle, POGO, The Sims and MySims are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Wii and Nintendo DS are trademarks of Nintendo. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

The Sims 3 is in Stores Now!

I picked it up a few days ago at best buy. Have you been able to pick it up?

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Let There Be Sims™! The EA Play Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS - News) today announced that The Sims™ 3, the next generation of the global cultural phenomenon and best-selling PC franchise of all time, is at retail nationwide and available for digital download today for the PC and Mac, and will be in stores worldwide in 60 countries and in 22 languages this week. The Sims 3 is also available today for download from the Apple App Store for iPhone™ and iPod® touch.

“The day is here and we can’t wait to see what kind of stories the players will tell, movies they’ll make, homes they’ll build and everything they’ll share using The Sims 3,” said Ben Bell, Executive Producer of The Sims 3 at EA. “Now you can create any Sim you can imagine. For the first time ever, you can explore a seamless, open neighborhood and give your Sims real personality traits. Sims fans and new gamers alike will have something to love in The Sims 3.”

In The Sims 3 you can create lifelike Sims with a unique personality and take them anywhere in the neighborhood. The powerful Create-a-Sim tool allows you to create Sims that are more realistic than ever. Select from dozens of personality traits such as brave, artistic, kleptomaniac, clumsy, paranoid and romantic. With Create-a-Sim, you can create a limitless number of truly unique Sims. The Sims 3 allows for infinite possibilities to design the interior and exterior of your Sims’ surroundings using the Create-a-Style feature. Additionally, you can enjoy the challenge of short-term and long-term goals and then reap the rewards! Based on personality traits, skills and career choices, your Sims have short and long term Wishes that provide constant, fun challenges and so many things to do and achieve. You have the ultimate freedom to choose whether to fulfill their destiny, giving them lifetime happiness and rewards or not!

Register your copy of The Sims 3 for PC and Mac at www.TheSims3.com to enjoy the robust online and community features unique to your game including an all-new town called Riverview that you can download for no additional charge once you register.* You will also gain access to 1,000 SimPoints to purchase items from The Sims 3 Store including exclusive outfits, hairstyles, furniture, home décor, and architectural items to customize your Sims appearance and houses in all-new ways. Visit the Store each month for new, never-seen-before themed items. Additionally, be the director of your Sims’ movies by capturing clips during your gameplay, visiting the official site, and editing the soundtrack, story, and transitions, then share it with the world! These easily accessible tools inspire creativity and allow you to share your masterpieces with your friends and other players on The Sims 3 official website, personal blogs, or any social media network. See what you can create with The Sims 3.

The Sims 3 is the first The Sims game experience for iPhone and iPod touch. Full 3D Sims environments that take unique advantage of the innovative Multi-Touch user interface and accelerometer in the devices give players the opportunity to experience The Sims in a whole new way, anywhere, anytime. The Sims 3 is available globally from Apple’s App Store on iPhone and iPod touch, or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.

The game also is available for purchase, globally, from wireless carriers for feature phones. For information on carrier availability and pricing for all EA Mobile games, please visit www.eamobile.com.

For more information about The Sims 3, please visit www.TheSims3.com. Developed by The Sims Studio, The Sims 3 is rated T for Teen by the ESRB, PEGI 12+, and USK 0. The game is available now for purchase at retail and online through digital distribution at http://eastore.ea.com/store/ea/ContentTheme/pbPage.the_sims3/ThemeID.718200. To download artwork, please visit www.info.ea.com.

* INTERNET CONNECTION required. See product pack or digital distribution rules for details.

About The Sims

The Sims franchise celebrates an impressive over 100 million units sold since its launch in February 2000. Now translated into 22 different languages and available in 60 different countries, The Sims quickly has become a universal gaming and cultural phenomenon. For the latest information about The Sims and to check out the new The Sims 3 official website to see what the players are creating, visit www.TheSims3.com.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EATM, EA SPORTSTM, EA Mobile TM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile, POGO, and The Sims are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Mac, iPhone, and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Will Wright Leaves Maxis

In a rather perplexing piece of news EA today announced that Will Wright has left the studio he founded with Jeff Braun back in 1989. Will Wright has had an internal group in Maxis known as the Stupid Fun Club, which will now become a studio for creating games, movies, TV Shows, and Toys according to the press release. Maxis will continue on the Spore franchise along with any new IPs, while the Sims Division will continue the Sims Franchise. EA will publish all of The Stupid Fun Club's games, just as if he still was at maxis. You can check out the official site here

There are a few articles which i will point you to, first is just an article from kotaku, the 2nd is an interview with IGN's Steve Butts.

Kotaku - Will Wright Leaves EA, Does Something Stupid [Kotaku]
IGN: Will Wright Leaving Maxis [IGN.com]

Rod Humble, Promoted to Senior President

Earlier today EA sent out a press release naming Rod Humble as the New President of The Sims Label as part of EA, replacing Nancy Smith, who will go on to work at a more executive position of EA.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS -
News) has promoted Rod Humble to Executive Vice President and Head of The Sims
Label of EA. In this role, Humble will be responsible for The Sims Label, which
develops and markets life-simulation games and online communities with an
emphasis on creativity, community and humor. The Sims™ is the best-selling PC
franchise of all time.Former The Sims leader Nancy Smith will manage special
projects for The Sims Label until she begins a new executive role at EA, to be
defined over the coming months.“Like Nancy Smith before him, Rod Humble has
demonstrated strong leadership in defining EA’s The Sims brand as a stand-alone
product label. Rod has great creative instincts, uncompromising quality
standards, a deep connection with the player community, and most of all, the
respect of the team he works with,” said John Riccitiello, CEO of Electronic
Arts.“The Sims Label creates original entertainment experiences which are unique
in the way they bring culture, interactivity and creativity together,” said Rod
Humble. “It is a privilege to lead The Sims Label team as we look forward to new
ways of surprising and delighting customers in this rapid growth time for
interactive entertainment of all kinds.”Humble has been with The Sims Label and
EA since 2004. An 18-year industry veteran, prior to joining EA, he was Vice
President of Product Development for Sony Online Entertainment where he headed
up the EverQuest studio.About Electronic ArtsElectronic Arts Inc. (EA),
headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive
entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops,
publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game
systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts
markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA SPORTS
FreestyleTM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67
billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage
and online game site is http://www.ea.com./ More information about EA's products and
full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com./EA, EA SPORTS,
EA SPORTS Freestyle, POGO, and The Sims are trademarks or registered trademarks
of Electronic Arts Inc. in the you.S and/or other countries. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Quick Site Update

I've been loaded with Finals over the past week, but i have managed to play a lot of Sims 3. So far i really like most parts of it. The Traits are really neat, and i really enjoy them. Same can be said for the open world. The only main issue i have with the game is that... Well it's going to take a really long time to go anywhere, as the jobs pay next to nothing so far (i've reached level 5).

I will be posting a lot of news tomorrow and Friday hopefully! Oh and if you visit The Simmers Club, you might just be able to nab some free Simpoints ;)