Electronics Arts has announced today that The Sims 4 will arrive on PCs and Macs in 2014. The Sims 3, the predecessor of The Sims 4, received many expansions ever since it was released in 2009. This includes The Sims 3 University Life, The Sims 3 Monte Vista, The Sims 3 Supernatural, and The Sims 3 Katy Perry’s Sweet Treats.
Electronic Arts is shutting down several of their Facebook games including The Sims Social, SimCity Social, and Pet Society. EA said that the reason for why they are ending the games is because “the number of players and amount of activity has fallen off.” The games will be shutting down officially on June 14, 2013.
Through March and April, Consumerist.com conducted a “Worst Company in America” tournament in a similar bracket style used in the NCAA basketball tournament. In the semi-finals, it is Electronics Arts (EA) vs. Ticketmaster. EA or Ticketmaster will face off against either Bank of America or Comcast as the worst company in America. EA chief operating officer Peter Moore wrote a blog post titled “We Can Do Better” in response to being considered the “Worst Company in America.”
Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello has stepped down from his position and as a member of the company’s board of directors, effective on March 30th. Riccitiello cites his accountability as the reason for stepping down. He said that he is proud of the company’s transition to digital games, but the financial guidance that was issued in January will fall short of the company’s internal operating plan that was set one year ago. EA will be announcing their quarterly and fiscal year 2013 earnings on May 7th.
Electronics Arts announced today that Tetris Blitz is going through the freemium route. Tetris Blitz is a game that has a modern twist on the classic game. The game was optimized for Android and Apple iOS. EA has social leaderboards to make competition more interesting for users too. Tetris Blitz utilizes Facebook Connect integration to allow players to compete in weekly competitions while sharing high scores through a Facebook wall post. Tetris Blitz will be launching later this spring through the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Amazon Appstore.
Monster and EA Sports have partnered with each other to create the gaming headset called the MVP Carbon. The MVP Carbon is compatible with the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Wii U, and PCs. Monster said that the headphones is their first venture into gaming accessories. The MVP Carbon has simulated 5.1 surround sound (High Definition Headphone Surround) and it has 30MM drivers. The MVP Carbon has an integrated microphone for chatting and it has a standalone headphone amplifier known as Gamebox. The MVP Carbon will arrive next month for $269.95 in black and white.
Electronic Arts and GlassLab are partnering to develop SimCityEDU. SimCityEDU is an educational community that is based on the popular SimCity video game. SimCityEDU will be used in classrooms where students have a strong interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects.
Today Zynga has laid off 100 employees and shut down their offices in Boston, Massachusetts; Austin, Texas; and Chicago, Illinois. A Zynga Austin employee confirmed that two of the teams that were in the Austin team were let go, which included The Ville and Zynga Bingo teams.
