The Sims 3 moves in February 20

EA's surefire best-selling life simulator takes root on the PC next year; collector's edition detailed.

A perennial cash cow for Electronic Arts, the Sims franchise hit the celebrated 100 million milestone earlier this year, generating $4 billion for the company in the process. As part of the Leipzig Games Convention today, EA announced that the The Sims 3, the first all-new installment in the life-simulation franchise since 2004's The Sims 2, would begin uttering incoherent phrases to PC gamers on February 20.

With Will Wright's Maxis studio prepping for Spore's September 7 launch, the Sims 3 is being developed by EA's dedicated Sims Studio at its Redwood Shores headquarters. Making the most noticeable impact between The Sims 3 and the slew of spin-offs and expansions of previous Sims titles is the all-new graphics engine, which EA promises will bring to life such locales as beaches, mountains, and civic centers.

Delving under the hood, The Sims 3 offers players the ability to customize individual sims by allotting them five unique character traits, from a choice of brave, artistic, kleptomaniac, clumsy, paranoid, and romantic. EA notes that Sims constantly evolve as the game progresses, which will add diversity to encounters. Other new features packed into Sims 3 include a Create-a-Sim mode and short- and long-term goals, where players have the choice to "fulfill their destiny, giving them lifetime happiness and rewards or not!"

In addition to dating The Sims 3, EA also detailed the game's collector's edition. Though no price was provided, the collector's edition will include The Sims 3, a Sims Plumbob USB Drive, an exclusive in-game Italian-style sports car, a cheats guide, and The Sims 3 Plumbob stickers pack.

For more on The Sims 3, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

68 Comments

  • SSSJDanny

    Posted Jan 17, 2009 11:52 pm PT

    PC. If they do make one for PS3 or Wii its gonna be like the other wii game.

  • toettoettoet

    Posted Dec 14, 2008 3:33 am PT

    Does anyone knows if it's coming to a console? Like playstation 3 or the wii?

  • HighNMitey

    Posted Sep 23, 2008 5:19 pm PT

    Best sims yet!

  • Fanible

    Posted Aug 30, 2008 9:15 am PT

    Considering the massive slow down that the Sims 2 could cause (and even more so with it's expansions), how Sims 3 performs is the main thing I'm looking at.

  • semplew

    Posted Aug 28, 2008 6:39 am PT

    No Maxis, it's not going to be very good

  • dragoaskani

    Posted Aug 26, 2008 7:07 pm PT

    I don't know I get bored of sims 2 since the world around your sims never changes. But with sims 3 having the whole neighborhood advancing at once it should maybe be a bit more interesting then its predecessor.

  • necronaux

    Posted Aug 25, 2008 9:16 am PT

    Whew. For a second there I thought this said there were going to be 3 Sims "movies".

  • BenBenBen93

    Posted Aug 24, 2008 2:39 pm PT

    i like Sim games and also hate them like the idea hum run my own virtual life cool. no, no wait, don't pee now go and eat no way are you walking into the counter wait whats that fire doing there quick put it out no PUT IT OUT! ARGHHHHHHH I HATE this game id rather have an actual life. 2 Mins Later give me more, yes, call the maid call the maid yes yes DAMN IT i've been fire why WHY! i hate this game argh! i'm going on my Xbox 360 that the genral day on sims but now with what seem better AI and Graphics hurray

  • Vampiro_HuntT3R

    Posted Aug 24, 2008 8:26 am PT

    erinnicole93, please go pee before you do it here and we have to clean the mess. But I think Sims 3 is gonna rock. I like the Sims games and hope to see great new things in this one, too.

  • white_jaguar

    Posted Aug 23, 2008 4:49 pm PT

    i hope they make a massive sims 2 bundle with alot expansions like they did for sims 1. I dont have any expansions for sims 2, would buy them if bundled.

  • punksta99

    Posted Aug 23, 2008 5:37 am PT

    Create-a-sim? Hasn't that been in every game?

  • Martin-2-5-9

    Posted Aug 22, 2008 5:12 pm PT

    Yes!! Great news! Can't wait!

  • erinnicole93

    Posted Aug 22, 2008 10:39 am PT

    I'm so excited I'm going to pee.

  • twulz

    Posted Aug 22, 2008 3:55 am PT

    I agree Darkreaper_1; I honestly don't see much improvement in the sims 3 even though i've been a religious sims player since the beginning... I'll stick to the sims 2

  • dark_being posted Aug 22, 2008 3:35 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    dark_being

    Posted Aug 22, 2008 3:35 am PT (hide)

    I simply dont care...

  • J-Man24

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 6:45 pm PT

    yahhhhh thats great

  • Jshaw71

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 6:02 pm PT

    nice that we'll see sims 3 by 1q 09, but the collectors set inclusions sound not worth it, thanks for the news guys

  • DoubleAxe

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 4:57 pm PT

    in response to CIFI10 I'm pretty sure you cant rent a PC game...

  • badlands27

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 4:51 pm PT

    Any time a "Collector's Edition" features a sticker pack, you've gotta wonder if it's worth it...

  • Omnipresence

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 4:13 pm PT

    looking forward to the game, but not the collectors edition :/ sounds a bit crap.

  • CIFI10

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 11:46 am PT

    i'll rent it, not buy it
    looks like it'll be different in few ways, but still it'll be an improvement

  • Darkreaper_1

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 11:22 am PT

    Frankly i'm not that bothered about the Sim 3. I've spent too much time and money on the Sims 2 to simply ditch it all. I think the Sims 2 is still a great game and i can only see marginal improvements in Sims 3.

    Think i'll pass and just keep playing Sims 2...

  • baseballboy6411

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 11:16 am PT

    Sweet!!!

  • InoueOrihime

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 9:26 am PT

    Feb 20? Man thats great news! I wasn't expecting till much much later!

  • Stankmuffin

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 9:19 am PT

    I also thought it was going to be released later... now I'll have to get a computer that'll be able to run THE SIMS 3!

  • Sacred-Snow

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 9:09 am PT

    Very true.

  • Thrall897

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 5:56 am PT

    another reason to buy 8 more expansion packs!

  • boogernator

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 5:51 am PT

    plannign to get sims 2 and 3..

  • boogernator

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 5:51 am PT

    plannign to get sims 2 and 3..

  • aposgr

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 3:13 am PT

    awesome

  • rezarazor

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 2:10 am PT

    i absoloutly like this game

  • Makhdoom82

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 2:03 am PT

    It gets better and better doesn't it !!! Yum Yum Yum

  • Ionizer23

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 1:23 am PT

    Hmm... should i spend an extra 20 bucks for a car, usb, a cheats guide and stickers?

  • ntnimara

    Posted Aug 21, 2008 12:28 am PT

    haha.. yes indeed.. I'll be glad to be indoors this winter

  • Pete5506

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 11:52 pm PT

    Wow the winter seems to start good

  • swmeek

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 11:18 pm PT

    YIPPEEE! More Securom issues!! LOL
    I hope not that is!

  • Travis281

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 10:39 pm PT

    Seems to coincide with a nice time for me to upgrade my computer. I hope the graphics are awesome.

  • GeigerdolylWodd

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 7:44 pm PT

    It comes out on my birthday

  • sandshark8

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 7:26 pm PT

    I hope it doesn't need crazy requirements for some decent graphics...

  • juiceboxhero_x

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 4:44 pm PT

    Wow... February 20? I was thinking it'd be released a lot later than that. I can't wait for this friggin game.

  • Peach100

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 4:26 pm PT

    This game is looking good. Hopefully it'll be as good as TS2 and it's expansions. I am looking forward to this game though. The video and screenshots look nice.

    I'm glad the release date was bumped back a bit as well.

  • bigd575 posted Aug 20, 2008 2:54 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    bigd575

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 2:54 pm PT (hide)

    i've never really been into the sims.

  • SpeedMan72

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 2:33 pm PT

    awesome! im gettin a new pc at xmas maybe!

  • Kowpow

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 2:16 pm PT

    I sure am excited...Just need a good PC now...

  • Jmaster3265

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 2:05 pm PT

    This is good news hopefully. I knew it was going to be released sometime in 09 but not that early. Good date and hopefully a good game.

  • LordN3on

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 2:05 pm PT

    Nice! I'm curious about this one

  • Timbydude

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 1:55 pm PT

    Oh, great...another Sims game. Average in quality, but it'll steal all the sales from every other game.

  • MonkishGamer

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 1:53 pm PT

    Hmmm.... I've still got Sims 2. I might have to uninstall it to play this bad boy. Or just buy a new hard drive.

  • Thrallia

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 1:26 pm PT

    ivanKavinsky- "Anyone else notice how they said "five unique character traits" and then listed six?"

    um...each sim gets 5 character traits, but there will obviously be more than just 5 traits, or every sim would be identical

  • fiercedeity901

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 1:24 pm PT

    Idk bout sims 3...imma HUGE fan of the sims...but from the pics and videos...it just looks a bit too different and doesn't look like it will feel like the sims too much

    i hope it turns out great...but i fear it won't

    it seems like the sims 2 and 3 are going to be two completely different games

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