Crescent-News.com - EA reveals first details of 'The Sims 3,' coming in '09

BusinessWire.com

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.-- Electronic Arts Inc. announced the first details on one of interactive entertainment's most anticipated games, "The Sims 3."

Featuring a brand new engine that has been in development for nearly three years, "The Sims 3" allows you to immerse your unique Sims in an open living neighborhood right outside their door. The initial feature-set unveiled includes the new seamless, open neighborhood, new Create A Sim, new realistic personalities and new unlimited customization.

"The Sims 3" will launch globally in 2009.

"In 'The Sims 3,' Sims can go beyond the boundaries of their home lot, and immerse themselves in an open, living neighborhood, interacting with other Sims using our new deeper personality system," said Rod Humble, head of "The Sims" studio. "It is this type of open-ended gameplay that inspires endless creative possibilities. In addition the new goals and rewards systems will give players of all kinds from core gamers to storytellers the ability to enjoy long-term gameplay."

The new seamless neighborhood architecture allows your Sims to roam freely around the neighborhood and visit their loved one and friends--or foes.

Discovering other Sims homes and families, traveling around to new locations like City Hall or the local park will create a whole new way of life for your Sims. Storytelling options will multiply as your Sims stroll downtown to meet new acquaintances, head across town for lunch, spy on their neighbors and bump into the boss when they least expect it.

In addition to the open, living neighborhood, the all-new Create-a-Sim interface will feature easy-to-use design tools that allow you to make truly detailed Sims.

With the innovative and proprietary Realistic Personality System in The Sims 3, you can attribute each character with five distinct personality traits, helping shape your Sims behavior and how they interact with others and their surroundings.

New and accessible creativity tools in "The Sims 3" make it simple for anyone to customize anything.

"The new engine and technologies in The Sims 3 are designed to unleash the player's imagination with realistic looking Sims who have distinct personalities and a seamless living neighborhood for them to discover," added Ben Bell, executive producer on "The Sims 3." "Players are going to be thrilled by the level of realism in The Sims 3."