Sims News

For The First Time, The Sims Brings Fully Controllable Pets To Console, Handheld and on PC/Mac

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., June 3, 2011 – Man’s best friend is now your Sim’s best friend. The EA Play Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced The Sims™ 3 Pets, the newest title from the critically-acclaimed studio that created The Sims 3. It will be an entirely new standalone game for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Nintendo 3DS™ and an expansion pack* for the PC/Mac computer systems. The Sims 3 Pets enables anyone to play as they want, whether it’s the builder who creates the ultimate pet sanctuary, the achiever who solves all the mysteries in town, the experimenter who has a lone Sim and a house full of cats, or the storyteller who expresses himself through the adventures of his Sims and their pets.

“The Sims 3 Pets marks the biggest undertaking in our franchise’s history, melding the best of The Sims 3 with an even deeper player experience with the addition of pets,” said Scott Evans, General Manager of The Sims Studio. “For the first time ever, players will be able to play as their pets and see life through their eyes.”

Players take creativity by the reins and play out the stories they want to tell whether it’s the single guy in the dog park picking up women or the criminal overlord and her evil cat. Across all platforms, The Sims 3 Pets players will be able to create, customize and control over a hundred different kinds of cats and dogs like the Australian Shepherd and the Maine Coon, and can breed and share them with friends providing endless possibilities to create new and exciting breeds. Each platform brings a new world for players to explore from the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions where players will unlock achievements by solving mysteries around town, the Nintendo 3DS with new lots to unlock to the PC/Mac version where they’ll be able to take their pets on play dates or meet other Sims at the dog park, cat jungles and even a horse ranch. With The Sims 3 Pets, players will be able to create, control and play with life with their pets.

Unique to the Xbox 360 experience and for the first time in The Sims’ history players with Kinect™ can take control of their pets and Sims by voice commands, like telling their Sim to be romantic or feeding their dog.

The Sims 3 Pets for Nintendo 3DS takes advantage of the hardware’s built-in pedometer that tracks player’s real life movements. The more a player walks the more Karma Points they earn, which they then can spend to make mischief or give wealth. Using the Nintendo 3DS StreetPass™** function, players can gift pets to other The Sims 3 Pets owners in their proximity.

As the next expansion pack to The Sims 3, the best selling PC game of 2009***, The Sims 3 Pets Expansion Pack for PC/Mac brings the exclusive new opportunity to create, customize and play as horses. Players will be able to use their horses as a form of transportation to get around town and also to raise and train them with activities like racing or jumping hurdles.

Starting today, players will be able to pre-order**** to get the Limited Edition game with exclusives. Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 players will be able to obtain new breeds such as a dog tiger retriever, a dog panda chow, a cat skunk birman as well as other additional pets. PC players will get the exclusive pet store where they’ll be able to meet and mingle with neighborhood Sims and get new and unique objects. For more information on the Limited Editions, please visit www.thesims3.com

Whether the player prefers to customize the newest designer breed or be mischievous with their dog or cat, The Sims 3 Pets gives them the tools to play with life and create the perfect pet. The Sims 3 Pets for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo 3DS and PC/Mac is being developed by The Sims Studio and is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information about The Sims 3 Pets, please visit www.TheSims3.com. To download artwork, please visit www.info.ea.com.

*Requires The Sims 3 for PC/MAC to play

**Owners of The Nintendo 3DS must have installed an in/outbox and played The Sims 3 Pets at least once

***In North America and Europe according to NPD data, Chart-track UK, Gfk France, Gfk Spain, Gfk-MCC Germany and EA internal estimate.

****While quantities last

About The Sims

The Sims™ franchise, the groundbreaking game series that allows players to create and live a virtual, simulated life on a computer, celebrated its ten year anniversary in 2010 with an impressive more than 125 million units sold since its launch in February 2000. Now translated into 22 different languages and available in 60 different countries, The Sims series has quickly become a universal gaming and cultural phenomenon. Since its June 2009 launch, The Sims 3 has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide across multiple platforms and was the #1 best-selling PC title for 2009 in North America and Europe. Fan intensity is evidenced through nearly 250 million downloads of player created content including: The Sims characters, houses, stories and more. The Sims 3 community site, www.thesims3.com, welcomes up to seven million unique visitors monthly, handles more than 240 content downloads every minute and more than 3.5 million uploads have been made to date, including 11 movies each hour. The Sims 3 YouTube Channel is within the top 10 most viewed sponsored channels of all time with more than 45 million video views. Visit The Sims 3 official website to see what the players are creating at www.TheSims3.com or the official YouTube Channel for The Sims at http://www.youtube.com/user/TheSims. The Sims 3 is available for PC, Mac, iPhone®, iPod touch®, mobile devices, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, Nintendo DS™, Wii™, and Nintendo 3DS. Join The Sims 3 Facebook or Twitter communities at www.facebook.com/thesims3 and www.twitter.com/thesims3.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company’s game franchises are offered as both packaged goods products and online services delivered through Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 100 million registered players and operates in 75 countries. In fiscal 2011, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.6 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster franchises such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield, and Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.

The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Mass Effect are a trademark of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. John Madden, NFL and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission. KINECT, Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft Group of Companies and are used under license from Microsoft. “PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Wii and Nintendo 3DS are trademarks of Nintendo. 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.

Join The Sims 3 at E3 2011 with Executive Producer – Ben Bell – as he introduces The Sims 3 Pets. Learn how life is better with pets in The Sims 3! Take advantage of this opportunity to get up-close with Ben during the Q&A session where he’ll be answering questions from you! As a treat, a never-before-seen exclusive will be unveiled as well!

We will be hosting a giveaway on Twitter following the live broadcast for Simmers who participate! The Sims 3 Pets E3 gift bundle will include a signed t-shirt from Ben Bell and a The Sims 3 Pets spiked human dog collar.

• Sign up for a reminder here!
• RSVP to the Facebook Event

If only everyday were Summer and Summer were everyday. Get the hippest new fashions of the season with the all-new Everyday - Hot Summer Days Set.

Looking for new stuff? For the first time ever, your Sims can receive all-new interactions and exclsuive game benefits with our new premium content from The Sims 3 Store. Check out the Sharper Sim Foot Massager Chair today to see how premium content will allow your Sims to Live Better, Look Better, and Play Better!

Take the fresh new looks to the bedroom with the brand new Contemporary Comfort Bedroom Set and give your Sims contemporary styles in it's most comfortable form for the room that deserves it most -- the bedroom! Expand the contemporary styles to the living room with the all-new Contemporary Comfort Living Room Set and your Sims will be able to take in the summer season in style!

Or, you can get everything new for the month of June with just one click! The June 2011 Compilation includes the Contemporary Comfort Bedroom, Contemporary Comfort Living Room, 'Everyday - Hot Summer Days' Sets and the Sharper Sim Foot Massager Chair.

Check Out the New Looks Today!

To install this update, please start your game and use the “Updates” tab in your Launcher.

This game update includes:

Base Game Updates

You can now collect Memories of significant moments in your Sims' lives in the new Scrapbook. Custom Memories can also be created using the Capture This Moment tool. All Memories can be uploaded and shared on TheSims3.com and Facebook!

You can now adjust the lifespan length for each individual phase of life that a Sim goes through via the Options menu.

Live Mode

• Sims can now ask other Sims out on dates!
• Sims will now be given a Romantic Reputation based on their social interactions in the local dating scene.

Create a Sim

• Body hair can now be applied on male Sims, from head to toe!

Build/Buy Mode

• Players can now use the Catalog Filter in Build and Buy Mode to sort Content from different installed Expansion Packs and Stuff Packs, as well as content from The Sims 3 Store.

World Adventures

• Additional bug fixes and polish to existing features

Ambitions

• Additional bug fixes and polish to existing features

Late Night

• Additional bug fixes and polish to existing features

Generations

• Additional bug fixes and polish to existing features

Before installing an Update for The Sims 3, an Expansion Pack, or a Stuff Pack, it is a good idea to run through the following checklist to ensure your game continues to work smoothly.

If you have any questions about the below steps, please visit the Technical Support forum on the official Sims 3 community found at this URL: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/forums/show/10.page

Step 1: Disable Custom Content

Custom Content is all Sims content that did not come from an official The Sims 3 Update, The Sims 3 Store, Expansion Pack, or Stuff Pack. Custom Content is created by 3rd Party Developers that are not regulated by Electronic Arts or The Sims 3 Development Team and may not work with new updates. Custom Content may cause the game to behave unexpectedly or not function entirely.

To disable your custom content, undo whatever you did to install this content to get your game back into an unmodified state. If you placed it in a Sims 3 directory folder, move it to a new folder that is outside your Sims 3 file directory. Your Sims 3 file directory can be found using the paths listed below:

• Windows File Directory: C:\Documents and Settings\USER\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3
• Mac File Directory: User/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims/

Once you have installed the official update you may re-enable your custom content. If you experience problems, disable it again until the 3rd party developer updates their content to work with the official Update, Expansion Pack, or Stuff Pack.

Step 2: Back Up your Save Files

It's always a good precaution to back up your save files before installing an Expansion Pack, Update, or Stuff Pack. To do this, copy the “.sims3” folders found in the Saves folder onto your desktop or another file directory.

Your Sims 3 Saves folder can be found using the paths listed below:

• Windows File Directory: \My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Saves
• Mac File Directory: User/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims/Saves

After the Update is installed, run the game to verify your saves still function correctly.

Step 3: Let the Update Complete Entirely

Updates can sometimes be rather large and may take a while to download and install completely. Cancelling the update before it has completed may cause unexpected problems, so it is always best to let it finish entirely. Do not close the Launcher until you have confirmed the update is completely installed, as this will cancel the update.