The Sims Social

Did You Know?

• On February 9, 2012, The Sims Social won the Social Networking Game of the Year award at the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.
• On February 15, 2012, it was nominated for best online browser game by the British Academy Video Game Awards.
• The closures of The Sims Social, SimCity Social, and Pet Society occurred on June 17, 2013, three days later than expected.

Description

The Sims Social was a Facebook videogame developed by Playfish and EA, set in a fictional town called Littlehaven. A mobile companion app for smartphones was in development. The game featured remakes of real-life famous people such as Lady Sim-Sim (Lady Gaga), Elvis Plumbob (Elvis Presley), and Sims Cara (Sin Cara). Sims could develop six skills: art, cooking, music, writing, athletic, driving, and various project skill items tied to themed collections. Higher skill levels allowed Sims to obtain new objects; skills developed through interaction with objects like easels, computers, guitars, keyboards, microwaves, coffee makers, stoves, or typewriters, often as part of quests. Careers differed from previous Sims games: Sims could pursue Rocker, Chef, or Artist paths, each with five levels and three sub-levels. Players submitted appointments for jobs; after the appointment time, Sims worked to earn Simoleons and Career Points. Career Points led to promotions, each granting a special object. Completing a career track allowed players to select a new one, forfeiting all past career history.

Reception

The Sims Social accumulated over 65 million players, with over 16 million added in its first week, becoming one of the fastest growing Facebook games. It was the fifth most-used Facebook application in less than a month. Playfish offered The Sims Social Stadium for EA Sports FIFA Superstars as a promotion from mid-September 2011, requiring players to reach level 10 to claim it before removal; the stadium was added on September 23, 2011. By November 2012, the DAU dropped out of the top 25 on AppData charts, with users citing difficulty achieving goals and repetitive tasks as unattractive compared to rivals.