Soon, when you condemn your Sims character to death by locking it in a doorless room with only a VR headset and an espresso machine, you'll at least be able to provide a nice Ikea chair for the unfortunate Sim to collapse upon.
That news comes by way of the International Herald Tribune, which reports that Electronic Arts, publisher of The Sims, has reached an agreement with Ikea to feature the Scandinavian houseware retailer's furniture as virtual items in The Sims. The IHT reports that players will be able to purchase an Ikea "stuff pack" for about twenty bucks and then import the virtual items into their game.
EA's Nancy Smith, president of The Sims franchise, credited fans of the series, who demanded more realistic virtual items, as a driving force in getting the Ikea deal done:
Because we have such a direct relationship with our players, the players help shape the product strategy.
Comments
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
I remember staying up late at my friends house playing Sims when if first came out. I would never sleep if I played it again now that IKEA furniture is available. What a great idea!
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Muthu
house for sale by owner
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
Office Furniture has always been one of my primary interests in the furniture business and I'm really curiuous what are they going to send to the market this time.
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
Well that's an interesting union, let's give them credit for that, Ikea is a notorious furniture brand although I find it difficult to understand it's strategy. We are talking here about virtual packs, not real pieces of furniture. Either how, I am refurnishing my house anyways so this new feature could give me few good ideas as I am about to replace my vessel sinks, I am really curious about those virtual items.
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
It is ridiculas how EA is making all these pointless expanison packs and making money. I think their should have been only 6 expanison packs has a lot of the packs look like they could have been combined together. That is why i don't by EA products anymore just because I'm sick of this crap. EA used to be good back in the 90's and up to 2003, Now they have been dishing out crap with the occasional gem like My Sims which was ironically made by the now closed EA Japan. We need to fight this crap and stop it otherwise it will ruin the industry
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
I don't mind advertising when it doesn't feel intrusive, but to pay for an advertisement is rediculous. This just goes to show that EA (as a company, I have a friend who works for them, and is a relatively nice guy) is just one of those companies that are content on churning out mediocre things instead of really pushing the artistic envelope.
---- There is a limit for both politicians against video games, and video games against politicians.
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
"Because we have such a direct relationship with our players, the players help shape the product strategy."
That's why you shut down every goodgame development studio and rape their franchises?
Anyway, I guess the funny advertisements for the made up items are now a thing of the past.
-kurisu7885
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
Paying for advertisements?
Sounds like a great idea!
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
The only idiots excited about these stuff packs are the knuckleheads that pay some mouthbreather to download their poorly modeled and textured garbage. Hopefully these people will soon learn that they shouldn't be paying for this stuff. Either that or just boycott The Sims 3. The game is going to be garbage anyway.
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
So, wait, you pay $20 of real money to import advertisements to your game?
Hold your breath on that one.
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
So does this mean you can have your Sim now trap themselves inside a room by building too much IKEA furniture? Not to mention, will your Sim have to contact the IKEA consumer help line when they're missing a screw in the box?
-Loudspeaker
"Volume helps to get a point across but sharp teeth are better."
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
I flipped through catalogs and wondered: What kind of dining set defines me as a person?
It's just, when you buy furniture, you tell yourself, that's it. That's the last sofa I'm gonna need. Whatever else happens, I've got that sofa problem handled.
Home was a condo on the fifteenth floor of a filing cabinet for widows and young professionals. The walls were solid concrete. A foot of concrete is important when your next-door neighbor lets their hearing aid go and have to watch game-shows at full volume. Or when a volcanic blast of debris that used to be your furniture and personal effects blows out of your floor-to-ceiling windows and sails flaming into the night. I suppose these things happen.
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying strings of computer code as everyone else. :D
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
Wow, that's obscure. But totally funny.
E. Zachary Knight
www.editorialgames.com
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
Random Tower: Game News and Commentary
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
Because we have such a direct relationship with our advertising deparment, the ingame advertisments help shape the product strategy
fixed
-- mostly harmless
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
Actually, since a lot of Sims furniture looks like it came from Ikea anyway, I'm quite surprised they did not do this sooner.
--
I am the master of low expectations
http://mallvillestory.blogspot.com
http://mallvillestory.blogspot.com
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
So What level of mechanical skill will it take for the Sims to assemble this furniture?
E. Zachary Knight
www.editorialgames.com
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
Random Tower: Game News and Commentary
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
That's what I was wondering. I'm really hoping that the building (and potential of failed assembly) will be part of the Stuff Pack. But considering the protection of the brand, IKEA has probably vetoed the possibility for a sim to get frustrated and trash their home assembly furniture.
I see what EA's up to
$20 for furnature DLC?
This must be EA's way of fundraising dough for the 33 million additional shares it'll need to acquire a majority stake in Take Two.
Andrew Eisen
Re: I see what EA's up to
While the "Stuff" pack is available as DLC, each stuff pack (of which there has been an HMV edition, as well as numerous, non "sponsored" iterations) is also available in the brick and mortars.
I think The Sims fanbase, whom will sometimes spending monthly fees on fan made creations and websites, have definitely opened the door for EA to make these incremental, item only releases another way to score a little extra cash.
Re: Ikea Furniture to be Featured in The Sims
I'm going to assume you wanted us to point out the irony of EA talking about a "direct relationship" with people they assume are criminals. Other than that, why is this on here?
Hmm...