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The Sims 3 tops global PC chart in 2009, LTD sales hit 4.5M - EA

Citing internal data and external stat trackers, publisher claims sandbox life simulator was best-selling desktop title worldwide last year.

When the NPD Group released its annual US retail sales results for 2009 last week, the stat-tracking firm revealed that PC game sales at brick-and-mortar shops slipped a dramatic 23 percent from 2008 to $538 million. At the top of that chart was Electronic Arts' The Sims 3, which debuted to solid reviews on June 2. Though NPD did not break out sales figures, EA said that the life simulator had sold 3.7 million units globally through June.

The Sims 3 often mimics real-life situations.

The Sims 3 often mimics real-life situations.

Today, EA announced that not only was The Sims 3 the best-selling PC title in the US, but also the rest of the world. The publisher pulled its data from a range of independent industry-tracking sources, including NPD, Chart-track UK, Gfk France, Gfk Spain, Gfk-MCC Germany, as well as its own internal estimates. EA has confirmed for GameSpot that lifetime-to-date sales for The Sims 3 have reached 4.5 million units.

EA noted that The Sims 3's performance in 2009 marks the sixth time during the decade that a Sims title topped the global PC sales charts. The original The Sims accomplished the feat from 2000 to 2003, with The Sims 2 ousting it in 2004. The Sims 2 finished as runner-up on the global PC sales charts in 2005 and 2006.

The publisher has also seen substantial success with The Sims 3 Exchange, an online store populated by content created by users. According to EA, more than 100 million pieces of content have been downloaded through the Exchange since the game launched in June.

The Sims 3 received its first expansion in November 2009 in the form of the well-received World Adventures. A second add-on, The Sims 3: High-End Loft Stuff, is expected next month. As part of its downward earnings revision last week, the publisher also said that new entries in The Sims franchise would appear on unspecified consoles during its 2011 fiscal year, which runs April 1, 2010 through March 31, 2011.

48 Comments

  • SadPSPAddict

    Posted Jan 26, 2010 4:21 am GMT

    No real surprise - it's one of the few games that hasn't transported well to consoles

  • OAKRAID_PL

    Posted Jan 25, 2010 1:28 pm GMT

    its all about the motherlode

  • LosDaddie

    Posted Jan 25, 2010 7:54 am GMT

    4.5M is great sales

  • tequilasunriser posted Jan 24, 2010 11:17 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    tequilasunriser

    Posted Jan 24, 2010 11:17 pm GMT (hide)

    I thought videogames were a way to escape reality.

    This is the equivalent of reading a book about the average citizen's work week. Woopty do.

    Is society becoming so obsessed with voyeurism that this is now the utmost supreme form of entertainment?

    Grow some balls (ovaries?), grab some binoculars, and go do it the old fashioned way.

  • Ladiesman17

    Posted Jan 24, 2010 9:02 pm GMT

    @ kikitube
    if it for (mac) I think you have to wait for the "blockbuster" games such as StarCraft or Diablo. ^^

  • Obsidian posted Jan 24, 2010 3:05 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Obsidian

    Posted Jan 24, 2010 3:05 pm GMT (hide)

    Well then, there is no accounting for taste is there? I guess that's also why the Wii is so popular. Damn casuals... ruining this country. Why don't they all go pack to CasualLand where they belong?

  • santinodrake

    Posted Jan 24, 2010 2:37 pm GMT

    The Sims 3>>>crysis

  • Infinite_Access posted Jan 24, 2010 1:38 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Infinite_Access

    Posted Jan 24, 2010 1:38 pm GMT (hide)

    That shows how big pc gaming is. Not.

  • santinodrake

    Posted Jan 24, 2010 11:31 am GMT

    The Sims 3 is the best pc game EVAR

  • Gamesterpheonix

    Posted Jan 24, 2010 10:29 am GMT

    How the hell? Evil Sims...

  • Nickname111

    Posted Jan 24, 2010 12:51 am GMT

    ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEEEEEEEH

  • spudster007

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 10:25 pm GMT

    Now for them to release tons of expansions that will give EA more money!

  • luvsnflravens posted Jan 23, 2010 10:25 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    luvsnflravens

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 10:25 pm GMT (hide)

    If you want to see sex, thats what girls are for lol.

  • kikitube

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 10:21 pm GMT

    I wish I could buy the game. Very hard to find it (for mac) in my city

  • djtim_3000

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 9:51 pm GMT

    Article forgets to mention that NPD figures ONLY count sales from bricks and mortar stores. NOT online sales and NOT digital distribution, making whatever number they come up with the most pointless in all of gaming.

  • pudgexd

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 9:06 pm GMT

    Sims 3 needs a new patch asap. The current patch fix bugs but also introduce much more bugs/glitches and mods being unusable.

  • firesage423

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 5:42 pm GMT

    There isn't sex in sims 3.. they make "whoopy".. and no u dont see it.. they whoopy under the sheats.. if u wanna see that stuff thats what the internets for.. pff losers.. lol

  • Trogeton

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 5:40 pm GMT

    WOW SIMS

  • sircyrus

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 4:55 pm GMT

    This game still needs 4-5 more expansions to get back up to what players were used to with the Sims 2 content.

    That will make the cost $50 + $20-30 x 6 = $170-$230, just to get back to what Sims 2 offered.

    That combined with the Sims Store selling hairstyles and furniture for $1-2 a pop, and I imagine this is going to be EA's main moneymaker for quite a while still.

  • maitkarro

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 3:59 pm GMT

    @grasshopper6 and I've had uncensor from the begging when I go the game, though there isn't much too see like Barby or Ken dolls.

  • grasshopper6

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 1:35 pm GMT

    they need to bring it on to consoles

  • grasshopper6

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 1:34 pm GMT

    @nohabs
    is there sex in sims 3 lol prob. since its on pc it might be blurry tho.

  • 2bitSmOkEy

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 12:07 pm GMT

    I need to give this game another shot. I have never really been able to get into this series.

  • nohabs

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 11:28 am GMT

    Is there sex in these sims games ?. There is in Mass Effect.

  • QuatrixJ

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 11:04 am GMT

    "minimal, but very addictive. as the (high-end) system. PC 'hide' their claws.."

    What?

  • wis3boi

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 10:19 am GMT

    Sims 2 was and still is a great game. I have all the expansions and over 2000 mods installed in it. After seeing what the Sims 3 did in terms of the same exact expansions again and again, I have no interest at all. I'm sticking to the 2nd one

  • -Fromage-

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 9:55 am GMT

    I've never been a big fan of these Sim games.

  • ChamomileBaths

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 9:14 am GMT

    Hahahaha, love the caption and picture.

    As for the sales.. I think the last brick and mortar I bought for my PC was Joint Operations. The sooner we move on to downloads only the better off are for saving space in our houses/apartments, simplifying our entertainment center/game center operations, and for the environment and it's 50,000 resources it has left. Bricks don't fit into game consoles anyways.

  • Jak_Napier

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 8:31 am GMT

    2009 was a good year for the Sims.

  • Ladiesman17

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 8:20 am GMT

    2009 = The Sims 3
    2010 = StarCraft II
    2011 = Diablo III
    minimal, but very addictive. as the (high-end) system. PC "hide" their claws..

  • Expo_Smacko

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 8:14 am GMT

    Good news. Nice to see a well done game up there.

  • iShiny

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 7:09 am GMT

    Neat

  • _Pedro_

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 7:01 am GMT

    @Skargamer, the pc has more games released in the same time period as all the consoles combined. It's the easiest platform to develop for and is the only system this gen to have AAA-quality third party exclusives.

  • inthepastxx

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 6:25 am GMT

    I have to agree with supadave841, I also recently just became a major pc gamer, although ive been playing the sims ever since its release back in 2000 but now. Playing all the latest and greatest hardware and games out there. But always find myself coming back and playing the sims 3 over and over for hours on in.

  • supadave841

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 6:09 am GMT

    That's impressive because PC games generally don't sell well. I just became a PC gamer and I love it. Its just that pc games can't be traded in for credit at a local Gamestop because of piracy so that puts a dent on the market for them. But if I hate a game like I did with borderlands, I just sell them through Amazon.

  • Skargamer

    Posted Jan 23, 2010 4:30 am GMT

    people just dont realize the power the PC has. console fanboys love their consoles and i respect that but you gotta admit the PC is the most powerful system out there.

    why dont they make a lot of games on it you ask?

    cuz making a game on a console is easier compared to the PC since you have the same engine running a lot of the games you hve on a console.
    PC only games are difficult to make because make a PC exclusive will require a lot of work since some people know the power of the PC.

    bottom line is that sims 3 is a great game, or moreover the sims series, and i applaud the developers for taking a risk and making such an awesome game. sure it doesnt have the best graphics but is an AWEsome PC exclusive.

    developers should realize this (or maybe they already did) and take advantage of the PC's power...

  • severe_009

    Posted Jan 22, 2010 9:47 pm GMT

    @firesage423

    Don't worry as we all know, The Sims 3 will be bombarded with expansions pack and stuff plus like TS1 and TS2, it's just a matter of time.

  • firesage423

    Posted Jan 22, 2010 8:15 pm GMT

    thank u kris9031998! sims 2 house and stuff plus the sims 3 world would be better but u couls do so much more in sims 2

  • Peach100

    Posted Jan 22, 2010 8:06 pm GMT

    I wonder why too. This game has horrible problems!! Saving errors, crashing, no vsync, terrible issues with patches. You need patches to fix the patches and so forth.

    I admit though, the game could be awesome if it weren't for all the problems. And, at times, admist the problems, it can be fun.

  • kris9031998

    Posted Jan 22, 2010 8:04 pm GMT

    i wonder why, sims 3 sucked compared to sims 2

  • CoolKidX

    Posted Jan 22, 2010 7:17 pm GMT

    It has been downloaded like 3 million times on Utorrent or something, I read that somewhere. So thats kinda sad, as sad as MW2 being downloaded 5 million times. But its a good thing some people just buy the game, in that way PC gaming isnt that dead, and maybe StarCraft 2 will get alot of sales yay.

  • jedikevin2

    Posted Jan 22, 2010 5:52 pm GMT

    There is almost no way to know Pc numbers these days. Until Steam and other services give off online sales numbers these type of articles are pointless. To me Pc is doing just fine when you consider the npd hard dvd game sales numbers and knowing that the PC market has switched to many online download sales. I for one have bought over 9 PC games through direct 2 drive and steam services in 2009 of which will not be counted in any total sales figures.

  • All-Madden09

    Posted Jan 22, 2010 5:09 pm GMT

    meh sims is okay.

  • cybrcatter

    Posted Jan 22, 2010 4:37 pm GMT

    PC is Dead? PC isn't profitable? "more than 100 million pieces of content have been downloaded through the Exchange since the game launched in June. "
    I rest my case, your Honor.

  • paulliddell

    Posted Jan 22, 2010 4:35 pm GMT

    this just proves how a game developer can work like a dealer. If you make a game simple to handle and cheap (the sims 1). when it works you pile on add on after add on after...you get the point. years later (YEARS!!!!) you bring out a so called part 3 and everyone pays......really. I"m actually out of cash and borrowing games from mates, if thats not addiction?

  • neonfrax2

    Posted Jan 22, 2010 4:26 pm GMT

    Wow! What fantastic sales numbers for the Sims 3!! Imagine how great the sales on this would've been if the bootleg version of it wasn't released a few weeks before the game was available in stores! (FYI - my tongue is FIRMLY in my cheek on this one... if anyone else can remember the pre-launch bootleg hype surrounding this game)

  • pvtdonut54

    Posted Jan 22, 2010 4:25 pm GMT

    I really don't like the series that much but kudos to EA on still being able to profit from it.

  • prioritymail

    Posted Jan 22, 2010 4:16 pm GMT

    Sims = awesome

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