Sims 3 Release Date Officially Pushed Back
In a move which surprised no one, EA has officially pushed back the Sims 3 release date to June 2
The push-back on the Sims 3 release date came in conjunction with a series of published delays in the release dates of several other EA games. Network World called the flurry of announced delays “puzzling,” particularly since at least one of the games delayed (The Godfather II) was, by all accounts, almost completely finished.
Coincidentally, EA dropped the news on the release date delays hot on the heels of the press conference call in which reported “disappointing” results for third quarter profits, and “announced plans to chop its workforce by 11%, or 1,100 people, while closing 12 facilities.” Many people, includingSteve Spohn of Able Gamers, are speculating that EA is deliberately pushing back its release date in the hopes that the economy - and consumers’ willingness to spend money on video games - will have improved by then.
Rumors of bugs in the game and problems in Developer Land have been rampant ever since the Creator Camp invitees began publishing their experiences. Although many contended to that the game they played at Creator Camp was an older, less polished version of the game which was to be shipped, few believed it. For the last few months, confidence in the release date has been dropping steadily.
The new “four months from now” release date for The Sims 3 is eerily reminiscent of its sister game Spore’s release track. Although Spore had an entirely separate development track, one can’t help but make comparisons. Spore’s release date was “four months from now” for about three years. It even made #2 on Wired’s Vaporware 2007 list
The official press release quotes Russel Arons, Vice President of Marketing for EA, as lauding the delay for providing them with “the perfect runway to create awareness for The Sims 3.” Although this is clearly a case of “when life hands you lemons,” it’s still pretty funny that the VP of Marketing is concerned about awareness for the successor to one of the most popular PC games of all time.
The Sims 2 has been a consistent bestseller ever since it was released in 2004, and hit the “100 million copies sold” mark in April of 2008. It was the #1 bestselling game in the year of its release, and its ranking only slipped to #7 for 2008, four years later. Two of its expansion packs, Free Time and Apartment Life, also hit the list in 2008, coming in at #12 and #16, respectively.
Since word on the street is that you will NOT be able to import your Sims into The Sims 3, this release date does give Sims 2 players a chance to play their beloved Sims for a little while longer. If you are missing any of the expansion packs, keep an eye on retailers’ sales! For the last few months, the expansion packs have always been on sale somewhere. Amazon has offered some of the best bargains, with stuff packs at one point priced as low as $9.99 apiece.