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The Sims Franchise Factsheet

The Sims^™ Franchise

www.TheSims3.com

Summary

The Sims™, the wildly popular game that allows players to create a neighborhood of simulated people (Sims) and control their lives, skyrocketed to the top of the charts when it began shipping to stores in February 2000 and quickly became a universal gaming and cultural phenomenon. The critically-acclaimed franchise today celebrates an impressive over 125 million units sold and is translated into 22 different languages and available in 60 different countries. The Sims has inspired two more base games, The Sims 2 and The Sims 3, numerous expansion packs for PC and Mac, titles for console gaming systems, and games for the iPhone, iPod touch, and mobile phones. The Sims will celebrate its ten year anniversary on February 4, 2010.

The Sims long list of honors has included being selected “Game of the Year” for 2000 by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and by numerous media publications worldwide. The creator of The Sims, Will Wright, was inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame in February 2002, joining such industry legends as Sid Meier and Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto. Will Wright has also been recognized by the Interactive Digital Software Association in 2002 for his extraordinary body of work and the enduring legacy he has established in the interactive entertainment industry and was the first individual from the video games industry to be awarded the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Fellowship in 2007. In June, The Sims 3 launched selling over 1.4 million units in its first week and over 4.5 million copies to date making it the #1 best-selling PC game of 2009.

“At first, no one believed that a videogame about people and social interaction, without shooting, driving or what passes for action, could be published successfully,” said EA President and CEO John Riccitiello. “Today this game, The Sims, has evolved to become the world’s most successful PC game and a global multi-platform success. The Sims has incredible appeal among teens and young adults, and especially among female players, has broken all the old established rules about videogames.”

The Sims Highlights

• The Sims franchise has sold over 125 million copies since its launch in 2000.
• The Sims is the #1 best selling PC Franchise of all time, EA’s #1 best selling Franchise and #2 in the Western World in sales across all video game platforms
• The Sims will turn ten in February 2010 and remains a top seller in virtually every major game market worldwide.
• Since the launch in 2000, The Sims franchise has spawned nearly two dozen expansion packs, deluxe editions, and versions for console systems, mobile phones, and an online version.
• According to The NPD Group, The Sims base product was the number one selling PC game from 2000 -2003. The Sims 2 then went on to be the best-selling PC game in 2004 and the second best-selling PC game of 2005 and 2006. The Sims™ 3 was the #1 PC game of 2009 and was the biggest PC launch in EA’s history.
• In October 2006, The Sims 2 Pets was the most successful expansion pack in franchise history, ranking in spots one or two of the PC game charts for more than 3 months.
• Over the years, The Sims and its following titles have won more than 100 game critic awards and have landed on the cover of over three dozen magazines for The Sims 3 alone.
• Fan intensity is evidenced through the nearly 110 million downloads of player created content for The Sims 3 including: Sims, houses, stories and more. The Sims 3 YouTube Channel is the second most subscribed to sponsored channel of all time with nearly 55,000 subscribers and over 26 million video views. http://www.youtube.com/TheSims

Timeline

PC

• The Sims™ – February 2000
• The Sims™ Livin’ Large – August 2000
• The Sims™ House Party – March 2001
• The Sims™ Hot Date – November 2001
• The Sims™ Vacation – March 2002
• The Sims™ Deluxe Edition – September 2002
• The Sims™ Unleashed – September 2002
• The Sims™ Online – December 2002
• The Sims™ Superstar – May 2003
• The Sims™ Makin’ Magic – October 2003
• The Sims™ 2 – September 2004
• The Sims™ 2 Special DVD Edition – September 2004
• The Sims™ 2 University – February 2005
• The Sims™ 2 Nightlife – September 2005
• The Sims™  2 Holiday Edition – November 2005
• The Sims™ 2 Holiday Party Pack – November 2005
• The Sims™ 2 Open for Business – March 2006
• The Sims™ 2 Pets – October 2006
• The Sims™ 2 Family Fun Stuff – April 2006
• The Sims™ 2 Glamour Life Stuff – August 2006
• The Sims™ 2 Happy Holiday Stuff – November 2006
• The Sims™ 2 Seasons – March 2007
• The Sims™ 2 Celebration! Stuff – April 2007
• The Sims™  2 Deluxe – May 2007
• The Sims™ 2 H&M Fashion Stuff – June 2007
• The Sims™ 2 Bon Voyage – September 2007
• The Sims™ 2 Teen Style Stuff – November 2007
• The Sims™ 2 FreeTime – February 2008
• The Sims™ 2 Double Deluxe – April 2008
• The Sims™ 2 Kitchen and Bath Interior Design Stuff – April 2008
• The Sims™ 2 IKEA Home Stuff – June 2008
• The Sims™ 2 Apartment Life – August 2008
• The Sims™ 2 Mansion and Garden Stuff – November 2008
• The Sims™ 3 – June 2009
• The Sims™ 3 World Adventures – November 2009
• The Sims™ 3 High-End Loft Stuff – February 2010

Console/Mobile

• The Sims™ (PlayStation®2) – January 2003
• The Sims™ (Xbox®/Nintendo GameCube™) – March 2003
• The Sims™ Bustin’ Out (PlayStation 2/Xbox/Nintendo GameCube/Game Boy® Advance) – December 2003
• The Sims™ 2 (PlayStation 2/Xbox/GameCube/Nintendo DS™/Game Boy Advance) – October 2005
• The Sims™ 2 (Mobile phones/PlayStation Portable) – November 2005
• The Sims™ 2 Pets (GameCube/ PlayStation 2/ Xbox/ Game Boy Advance/ Nintendo DS/ PlayStation Portable/ Wii) – October 2006, November 2006, December 2006, June 2007
• The Sims™ 2 Castaway (PlayStation 2  /PlayStation Portable /Nintendo DS™ /Wii) – October 2007
• The Sims™ 2 Apartment Pets (Nintendo DS) – August 2008
• The Sims™ 3 (iPhone, iPod touch, mobile phones) – June 2009

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