Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[The Game Archaeologist and the Legend of the Sims: The history]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/06/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-legend-of-the-sims-the-history/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/06/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-legend-of-the-sims-the-history/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/06/the-game-archaeologist-and-the-legend-of-the-sims-the-history/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The Sims Online was one of the odder entrants into the MMO genre this past decade, an online iteration of an immensely popular game franchise that promised deeper social interaction. With EA at its back and the Will Wright name affixed to the front, TSO (not to be confused with Cryptic's STO) had a solid shot at cracking the big time.

It did not. It went over as well as a fish flopping out of water to make a go for it on dry land, eventually realizing that it was both going nowhere and dying slowly. The end result? It stunk.

And yet it was an interesting failed experiment in MMO gaming, especially considering that the concept wasn't as off-base as we once thought. With social "dress up" games booming -- Second Life, Habbo Hotel, Club Penguin, Hello Kitty Online, even elements of LEGO Universe -- The Sims Online could be seen as a prophet of the future, mistreated in its own time. Return with us to the days of pixelated 2-D isometric glory, as the Game Archaeologist interprets the Simlish of ancient tomes for your benefit.

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the Legend of the Sims: The history

MassivelyThe Game Archaeologist and the Legend of the Sims: The history originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>club-penguineaea-landelectronic-artseverquestfeaturedhabbo-hotelhello-kitty-onlinelego-universemeat-marketpenny-arcadered-light-districtsecond-lifesimlishsimlish-is-just-nonstop-swearingsimsstar-trek-onlinestothe-game-archaeologistthe-simsthe-sims-onlinetsoTue, 06 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EA "thinking about" online features for The Sims, even as EA-Land dies]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/04/ea-thinking-about-online-features-for-the-sims-even-as-ea-lan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/04/ea-thinking-about-online-features-for-the-sims-even-as-ea-lan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/04/ea-thinking-about-online-features-for-the-sims-even-as-ea-lan/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

A recent article in The Times Online offers a few choice phrases from Nancy Smith, the executive in charge of the Sims Division at Electronic Arts, regarding a possible future direction the franchise could take. It begins with Smith saying that the Sims " ... may soon become a multi-player game." Apparently the popularity of virtual worlds and MMOs like Second Life and World of Warcraft is something EA wants a part of, so their idea is to provide " ... more and more robust community features."

Aside from the ability to interact with one another, what are these community features? The article doesn't reveal anything concrete, and Smith is very careful not to commit to specifics. In fact, the entirety of Smith's comments seem to indicate both an ambivalence toward the power of online gaming and a desire to be seen as being focused on moving the franchise forward by incorporating aspects of that same power. Add to this the strange lack of understanding of how the online space works for many MMOs, and you've got a conflicted EA on your hands -- the same company that canceled EA-Land, which might have been the perfect test bed for any online distribution/content model EA wanted to experiment with.

What's going on here? We'll take a shot at understanding this after the jump.

Continue reading EA "thinking about" online features for The Sims, even as EA-Land dies

MassivelyEA "thinking about" online features for The Sims, even as EA-Land dies originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ea-landelectronic-artsfeaturedh-and-mikeajoystiqfeaturesnancy-smithsecond-lifethe-simsthe-sims-onlineworld-of-warcraftWed, 04 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EA-Land to refund in-game ATM transactions]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/07/ea-land-to-refund-in-game-atm-transactions/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/07/ea-land-to-refund-in-game-atm-transactions/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/07/ea-land-to-refund-in-game-atm-transactions/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Despite what the bitter naysayers have been claiming about the addition of ATMs to EA-Land just before its complete closure, it appears that Electronic Arts won't be claiming all those last-minute Simoleons after all. In a recent announcement, EA-Land Community Manager Parizad Parav has said that every transaction completed through an in-game ATM will be completely refunded by the company. Remember that these transactions were the conversion from real dollars to virtual.

It's nice to see a big company doing right by its former constituents, when they have no real obligation to do so. Of course, it's no skin off of EA's nose either, as their pockets are plenty deep enough to cover this amount. Still, it's a sad affair all around -- at least this will be one less point of angst among the formerly faithful.

[Thanks, Sean!]

MassivelyEA-Land to refund in-game ATM transactions originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 May 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>atmea-landmoneyrefundsimoleonsthe-sims-onlinetransactionsWed, 07 May 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EA-Land shutting down]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/30/ea-land-shutting-down/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/30/ea-land-shutting-down/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/30/ea-land-shutting-down/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Electronic Arts' new baby, EA-Land, is apparently not going ahead, with news coming down a few hours ago that this replacement for The Sims Online is going to be closing.

The Sims Online closed and merged into the new EA-Land world in February this year, but it appears that whatever targets EA management might have set for the project weren't met, and it is now going to go away, closing around Midnight on the last day of July, this year.

Continue reading EA-Land shutting down

MassivelyEA-Land shutting down originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingeaea-landelectronic-artslucmmo-industrypaypalsecond-lifethe-sims-onlinetsovirtual-worldsWed, 30 Apr 2008 02:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Sims Online closes, relaunches as EA-Land]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/the-sims-online-closes-relaunches-as-ea-land/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/the-sims-online-closes-relaunches-as-ea-land/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/26/the-sims-online-closes-relaunches-as-ea-land/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

The Sims might have been a huge hit with casual gamers worldwide. The virtual world built on the same property, The Sims Online, was unfortunately rather less so. Last year, three employees led by Luc Barthelet convinced EA that the whole TSO concept could be revitalized under a new platform and model.

Development ensued, apace until on Thursday, February 21 the last of The Sims Online cities shut down, and were bundled off. Say hello to EA-Land. It appears that some or all of the downed cities have been merged into the new EA-Land mixed-pay model.

Continue reading The Sims Online closes, relaunches as EA-Land

MassivelyThe Sims Online closes, relaunches as EA-Land originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>business-modelscasualeaea-landelectronic-artsfree-to-playlaunchesluc-barthaletsecond-lifethe-sims-onlinetsovirtual-worldsTue, 26 Feb 2008 07:00:00 EST