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Los Angeles, CA – June 4, 2009 – The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) today closed the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 Expo) and announced that the 2010 E3 Expo will take place from June 15-17, 2010, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Over the course of the 2009 E3 Expo, more than 41,000 attendees from 78 countries viewed hundreds of new products and developments from 216 exhibitors.

The 2009 E3 Expo was designed to better meet the needs of exhibitors and attendees by focusing on value, while maintaining the excitement and energy that fuels the $22 billion U.S. marketplace for computer and video game entertainment.

“We are pleased that this year’s E3 Expo was so successful for our members and exhibitors in terms of sales, business development and profile-building,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the ESA, the trade association that represents U.S. computer and video game publishers and owns the E3 Expo. “E3 Expo is truly the world stage and spotlight that the interactive entertainment industry has earned as a leader in entertainment. We are looking forward to building on this great momentum for 2010.”

"The E3 Expo has returned as the premiere annual destination for the global games industry," said Graham Hopper, executive vice president and general manager, Disney Interactive Studios. "The excitement the show generates and the ability for us to showcase our portfolio to a worldwide media, retail and consumer audience is an important business driver."

“The ESA has put on a great show for the game industry," said Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello. "E3 2009 reflected the vitality, innovation and global presence of a rapidly growing industry. I'm already looking forward to next year's event."

 “Xbox 360 was pleased to be a part of a rejuvenated E3 this year and to see the interactive entertainment industry really shine and reach new audiences,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president, Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business. “We look forward to being at E3 next year and continuing to redefine the future of home entertainment.”

“This year’s E3 exceeded expectations and SouthPeak Games was proud to be a part of it,” commented Richard Iggo, vice president for marketing at SouthPeak Interactive Corporation. “For us, E3 is about building our brand, showcasing titles, and making the business connections necessary to deliver high-quality entertainment and we were able to accomplish all of that. This is once again the industry’s launchpad for computer and video game news.”

 

About E3 Expo^TM
E3 Expo is the world's premiere trade show for computer and video games and related products. The show is owned by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of the companies, publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. For more information, please visit www.E3expo.com or www.theesa.com.

About the ESA
The Entertainment Software Association is the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of companies publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. The ESA offers services to interactive entertainment software publishers including a global anti-piracy program, owning the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 Expo), business and consumer research, federal and state government relations, First Amendment and intellectual property protection efforts. For more information, please visit www.theESA.com.

 

About IDG World Expo
IDG World Expo (www.idgworldexpo.com) is a leading producer of tradeshows and events for professionals and consumers seeking world-class education, strategic business relationships, and access to industry-leading products and services. IDG World Expo's portfolio of conferences and events includes Macworld®, Electronic Entertainment Expo® (E3 Expo®), Next Generation Data Center™ (NGDC™), OpenSource World™ and CloudWorld™. IDG World Expo is a business unit of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research and event company.

Tagged as: Industry

Our new podcast episode is up! Enjoy

 

http://uoem.com/sims/downloads/showentry.php?e=209

Tagged as: Podcast, Return, Sunset, Valley!

The EA Sims Studio is pleased to announce that The Sims 3, the highly-anticipated flagship game from the best-selling PC franchiseThe Sims, has gone gold for the PC and Mac, is off to manufacturing and will street  in 60 countries June 2, 2009.

 

In The Sims 3, you have more options than ever before to create and play with unique, life-like Sims. Customize your Sims’ appearances and choose up to five traits to create individual personalities. New goal-oriented game-play enables you to choose which short or long-term objectives you want your Sims to pursue. You can choose to make them happy or not! You can also create and edit your own movies by capturing game-play moments or selecting from a library of clips. Then join The Sims 3 online community where you can show off all your creations, get free bonus content, hear the latest news and more!

The Sims 3 Collector’s Edition, available at select retailers for $69.99, will include the full game along with an additional collectable 2GB The Sims Plumbob™ USB drive, tips and hints guide and a bonus in-game European-styled sports car unavailable elsewhere.The Sims 3 will be available for purchase at retail and online through digital distribution for $49.99 starting June 2 athttp://eastore.ea.com/store/ea/ContentTheme/pbPage.the_sims3/ThemeID.718200

The Sims 3 was developed by The Sims Studio and is rated T for Teen. To download artwork, including Mother’s Day screens, visit www.info.ea.com. For more information about The Sims 3, go to www.TheSims3.com.

New screenshots were released from EA to celebrate Mother's Day :)

 

Tagged as: Mother's

5 New Screenshots (well 4) have surfaced centering on careers and jobs our Sims may have in The Sims 3. Hey Sims Superstar Fans! You might like these screenshots a LOT.

 

Tagged as: Careers!, Screenshots!

 

Q:  What is the ship date for TS3?

A: The game is available in stores in NA June 2^nd and then throughout European and Asia-Pacific countries starting from June, 3^rd onwards

Q: How do I register for TheSims3.com?

A: You can register online at http://TheSims3.com/Register (site goes live June 2) or by clicking on the Sign Up Now button on the Welcome page in the in-game Launcher

 

When you start up your game the TS3 Launcher will come up on screen with a Sign Up Now button that will take you to register when you click on it and connect through the game to TheSims3.com and all that it offers.  You will need the Serial Code printed on the back of the game manual in order to get full access to the community and The Store. (User can still register for the Community site without a serial code but will not get full access to all of the Community/Store features (such as Exchange upload/download, posting to Forums, using the Store). This type of account is called Site Registered as opposed to Game Registered.)

 

Q: How do I connect to the internet through The Sims 3?

A: You can connect via the Launcher

 

Q: How many Game Registered accounts can I have with each game?

A: There is one Game Registered account online per game.

 

Q: What online features does the game offer?

A: The Sims 3 offers a robust online community feature set. Users can create and share movies and stories using the Create a Movie and Create a Story tools. The new Exchange lets players share Sims, lots, households, objects, clothing, patterns and more. My Page and My Studio help to tracks and organize everything you’ve shared online.  And of course, The Sims 3 Store offers really cool premium content including a downloadable town at no additional charge.

Key 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 movie mashups with the Create a Movie Tool by embedding them on external sites or with an email link to TheSims3.com page.
   
• My Page and My Studio: The Sims 3 community 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 also make friends with other The Sims 3 players and share their content across a number of social network sites.

 

Q: What are SimPoints?

A: SimPoints are the virtual currency used on The Sims 3 Store. Players may buy SimPoints in bundles of 500, 1000 or 2000 SimPoints using international credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, national credit cards including Carte Bleu, Carte Si, Dankort, Maestro, Solo and Delta, cash cards (North America), or PayPal.  The Sims 3 Store accepts a number of currencies for the purchase of SimPoints including USD, GBP, EUR, BRL, SEK, DKK, AUD, NZD and ZAR.

 

Q: What can I buy with SimPoints?

A: With SimPoints players can buy in-game items from The Sims 3 Store. “The Store contains hundreds of exclusive items at launch, with new content added continuously.

 

Q: Will the content at The Sims 3 Store change over time?

A:The Sims 3 Store will have ongoing, regular releases of new content that is only available through The Store.

 

Q: How do you get the content you buy at The Sims 3 Store into your game?

A: When you purchase an item from The Store, it automatically gets added into your game Launcher when you click “Download Now.”. From the game Launcher, you can then install the item into your game with a single click. 

 

Q: Can you download the entire game from The Sims 3 Store?

A: No, you can digitally download the game at the EAStore starting June 2 - http://eastore.ea.com/store/ea/ContentTheme/pbPage.the_sims3/ThemeID.718200.

 

Q: How does the The Sims 3 Store differ from The Sims 2 Store?

A: The Sims 2 Store launched in July 2008 in North America, four years after the ship of the base game. The Sims 3 Store will launch globally at the same time as The Sims 3 and offer exclusive content that can only be found at The Sims 3 store.

 

Q: What is Riverview?

A: Riverview is a free downloadable town offered from The Sims 3 store. Now you can add even more content to your TS3 game experience with new lots, stories, Sims and more.

Q: How is Riverview different from Sunset Valley?

A: Riverview is a town with an idyllic countryside setting. It’s dotted with farms and nestled by a winding river. This sleepy little town comes with an entirely new set of inhabitants with secrets for your Sims to uncover.

 

Q: If I play offline can I get Riverview?

A: Riverview is offered only to Game Registered players on TheSims3.com. Players can play the game offline once they’ve downloaded the town.

 

Q: How is the TS3 Create a Movie tool different than Spore?

A: The TS3 Create a Movie feature is a web-based custom video editing tool designed to add cool effects, transitions, audio and more to video shared from your TS3 game.

In The Sims 3 game, players can capture footage easily. Their captured footage is then uploaded to the player’s My Studio page on TheSims3.com website.  On the website, players can then use the Create A Movie tool to easily drag and drop video clips, add a soundtrack and create a finished Movie that they can then publish on The Sims3.com and share on blogs and social networks, as well as upload to YouTube or other video sites.

 

Copy Protection questions:

Q: Is there copy protection on the disc?

A: Yes, we have the same level of copy protection on disc as what shipped with the original The Sims 2 base game.

 

Q:How is copy protection for The Sims 3 different than for Spore?

A: The key difference is no online authentication required to play the retail disc product.

 

Q: Has EA changed its DRM policy?

A: This copy protection strategy is specific to The Sims 3 retail disc. There are no additional details about any other EA PC title at this time.

 

Q: How will it work if I buy the game via digital distribution?

A: Digital download services each have their own methods, each service will post those specifics on their sites.

 

Q:  Do you need internet access to experience 100% of The Sims 3?

A:  No. Players will be able to experience the game in its entirety.  (Having online connections does enhance gameplay with free downloads and the opportunity to show off and use the creations of other players.)

 

Q:  What are the minimum hardware requirements for The Sims?

*TS3 specs reach systems that have been in the market place for 5 years.

A:  http://thesims3.ea.com/view/pages/newsItem.jsp?item=236875146

THE SIMS 3 MINIMUM HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
FOR WINDOWS XP
Windows XP (Service Pack 2)
2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
1 GB RAM
At least 6.5 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content
128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0

FOR WINDOWS VISTA
Windows Vista (Service Pack 1)
2.4 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
1.5 GB RAM
At least 6.5 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content
128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0

For computers using built-in graphics chipsets, the game requires at least:
Intel Integrated Chipset, GMA X3000 or above.
2.6 GHz Pentium D CPU, or 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent
0.5 GB additional RAM

SUPPORTED VIDEO CARDS
NVIDIA GeForce series
FX 5900, FX 5950
6200, 6500, 6600, 6800,
7200, 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950
8400, 8500, 8600, 8800
9600, 9800, GTX 260, GTX 280

ATI Radeon™ series
9500, 9600, 9800
X300, X600, X700, X800, X850
X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950
2400, 2600, 2900
3450, 3650, 3850, 3870,
4850, 4870

Intel® Extreme Graphics
GMA X3x00 series

FOR MAC OS X
* Mac OS X 10.5.7 Leopard or higher
* Intel Core Duo Processor
* 2 GB RAM
* ATI X1600 or Nvidia 7300 GT with 128 MB of Video RAM, or Intel Integrated GMA X3100.
* At least 6.1 GB of hard drive space, with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content and saved games
* This game will not run on PowerPC (G3/G4/G5) based Mac systems, or the GMA 950 class of integrated video cards.

 

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced the robust online and community offerings to The Sims™ 3 PC and Mac 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 user, 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 browse 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 was developed by The Sims Studio. 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 athttp://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^TMand 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.

Tagged as: Feature, Online, Reveals

WorldSims » News