EA to launch 'Sims 3' on June 2
The PC version of the latest full iteration of the mega-hit franchise will be released first, while the Mac, iPhone and iPod Touch versions will hit store shelves later in the summer.
Electronic Arts said on Tuesday that The Sims 3, the third full iteration of one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, will hit store shelves on June 2.
The game will be released for PCs first, and versions for the Mac, iPhone, and iPod Touch should come later in the summer, EA said.
The original version of The Sims, which launched in 2000, quickly became the best-selling PC game of all time. In the years since, the franchise has surpassed 100 million total units sold, counting The Sims 2 and all of the expansions for both full iterations.
Originally developed by legendary game designer Will Wright's Maxis studio--which is now focused on Spore--The Sims has since become its own division within EA. As such, it is run out of the company's Redwood Shores, Calif., headquarters, while Maxis is based in Emeryville, Calif.
On Tuesday, EA also announced its third-quarter earnings and said it would be laying off about 1,100 employees--about 11 percent of its total staff--and closing 12 facilities worldwide.