Sims 2 Gone Platinum In Ten Days (September 28, 2004)

[ChrisReid]

Electronic Arts has announced that The Sims 2 has sold more than one million copies in its first ten days on shelves. This gives the game top honors as EA's biggest PC launch ever. Just ten years ago Wing Commander 3 held a similar position in EA's lineup with a million copies sold over the span of months. Half of The Sims were sold in Europe, mirroring Wing Commander's consistent success there as well.

The Sims franchise celebrated its fourth anniversary in February. The game 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 Sims PC based product and expansion packs were the best selling PC games of 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. Translated into 17 different languages, The Sims has inspired seven top selling expansion packs. Combined sales for the franchise have topped 41 million units life-to-date.

The Urbz are up next.

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Original update published on September 28, 2004

 

[criticalmass]

Well, congratulations to the Sim community.

By the way EA is going with the Sim market, where will we end up in a couple of years? We've got the Urbz lining up, so next will be - what? The Professionalz? The Dorkz? The sensually and socially deprivedz?

No, let's think seriously: The market will diversify to hit niches, so there actually will be research going on to hit the main game genre user groups. So I'll imagine there'll be a medieval/fantasy branch, a action/reflex oriented branch (spell: bl**d & g*ts), a mystery oriented branch, and... whoa hey, a sci-fi branch!

Hmmmmmmm, then, lemme think, - EA will not want to tie it to any big franchise that they'll have to pay royalties. But didn't they buy that company that had a pretty big name going for itself once? Wasn't there even a movie?

But I'm only dreaming here. If somebody asks where you got it from, don't mention me.

//CM off

 

[Bandit LOAF]

Haven't they been developing Sim {Variable} games for fifteen years or so now?

 

[criticalmass]

Only if you count LCP into it, and that was a renegade product that some people liked, but which was ignored by the masses (but then we get closer to a 20-year mark). If you feel really generous, count the Tamagotchi craze in - but Maxis got started on the Sims in 2000, and reached their sales high only in 2002 (topping Myst).

 

[Bandit LOAF]

I was thinking 'Sim City', 'Sim Earth', 'Sim Ant', etc.

 

[Karthik@KANE]

Too bad EA doesn't want to milk Wing Commander!