IGN Charts the Sims Expansions

Sorry again for the lack of news pieces as of late. My PC died and my new one is arriving on the 15th, so things should get better after that.

Anyway, IGN put up a feature which charts all of the TS1 and TS2 expansions. The feature is kind of useless, but is a nice peace regardless. Check it out here

3 Sims Sudios make The Develop 100

The Develop 100 is an annual list of the most bankable game developers. Blizzard (Makers of World of Warcraft, Starcraft, Diablo, etc.) Ranked #1, however EARS [EA Redwood Shores (Formerly made the TS2 stuff)] was rated at 28. Maxis was rated at #31, and EA The Sims Studio made the list at #33. One of my favorite developers, Criterion Games, was ranked at #37. You can check out the list here

Will Wright Ranked Third Top Developer Of All Time

IGN has been doing a top 100 countdown of the best game designers of All time, and today they have released 10-1 of the list. Will Wright managed to snag the #3 spot, behind the greats of Sid Meier, who led the civilization series to stardom, and Shigeru Miyamoto the legend behind practically anything nintendo. IGN had this to say about Will Wright

Will Wright is one of the true pillars of modern game design. His work on SimCity, The Sims, and the recently-released Spore has rightfully earned him a spot among the most celebrated designers working in the games industry today. Wright is well known for his far-reaching and eccentric analysis of the videogame industry as well as his fixation with popular culture. He is one of the few people in the business that can mesmerize a room with his observations on just about any subject you can imagine.

He's the creator of a string of wildly successful games dating all the way back to Raid on Bungling Bay in 1984, the aforementioned SimCity series in the late '80s and early '90s -- which defined the modern simulation in just about every way -- and of course, the enormously popular life imitator, The Sims. Wright has been intrinsically linked with all Maxis properties (a company he helped start) for years. The success of his wildly ambitious and approachable games has allowed him the freedom to continue creating titles that were sandbox experiences more than linear experiences.

Wright has continued to develop "Sim" games, which are among the most successful and widely-played gaming titles of all time. The Sims' popularity inspired Wright to create the even more ambitious Spore -- a procedurally-generated simulation that tracks development from single-celled organisms into an entire galaxy. It The concept sounded impossible before it became a reality in 2008, enjoying commercial success and critical praise.

"When you give someone a toy of a system," Wright told Apple.com last year, "it gives them a new perspective on it. They see that system as a dynamic, organic thing. Living in it in the real world, they don't notice day-to-day changes in it, but when that system is sped up over 50 years or more, they see the changes clearly. And they gain a new perspective on it."

Indeed, it's a new perspective that Wright provides the entire industry with every new idea he brings to the table.

You can view the full list here [IGN.com]

Most Played PC Games of 2008

Who knew that The Sims (i'm assuming it is The Sims 1) would beat out The Sims 2 in terms of the number of hours logged by Americans? The Sims placed 4th behind Halo, COD4 and World of Warcraft who grabbed the Top spot in the rankings. Blizzard (the company who puts out World of Warcraft) also snatched up 7th place with Diablo II. Thanks to Kotaku for the news!

Poll Results: Where do you buy your games?

A bit late again on the Poll results for this week, but we asked you where do you buy your games? Your responce was as followed...

Online (Physical): 0 Votes (0%)
In a Store (EB Games, Bestbuy, Walmart, etc.): 4 Votes (100%)
Online (Digital Copy): 0 Votes (0%)

Thanks for voting, this weeks poll is if you think The Sims 3 Will be delayed? Poll results will hopefully go up on Monday

EA Being Sued over SecuRom

Well it wasn't before long that EA would have a lawsuit filed, based on the actions of SecuRom. Well there are currently 3 (Yes, Three). One in regards to the DRM in Spore Specifically, one regarding Mass Effect's DRM, and the other is regarding any other Game EA has published with Securom (This includes The Sims 2 Series) To view more regarding this issue, check out the website.

New SecuRom Lawsuits Filed against EA [Thanks Gravey via The Simmers Club]

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.