| The Sims 2: Apartment Life | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Maxis |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | 27 August 2008 |
The Sims 2: Apartment Life is an expansion pack for the 2004 life simulation video game The Sims 2, developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. The eighth and final expansion pack for the game, it was released 27 August 2008. Apartment Life is a broad-concept expansion pack introducing various features, including the option for sims to live in apartments, a system of social class and personal reputation, a new pre-made neighborhood, and a magic system in which sims can become witches and learn spells.
Apartment Life was inspired by player demand both for higher-density living options and for witchcraft, the latter of which had featured in the earlier installment The Sims: Makin' Magic. According to the developers, it was a complex expansion to create; the game had not previously allowed for multiple separate player-controlled families to live in the same area, and the designers researched real-world communities interested in magic while developing the game's magic system, influencing its portrayal.
Reception for Apartment Life was positive, with particular praise for its magic system and social opportunities. The expansion's release late in the game's lifecycle was a focus of many reviewers, who felt it would be overshadowed by the 2009 release of The Sims 3. The variety of concepts included, particularly the choice to introduce magic in an expansion pack not specifically themed around it, drew critical attention and remained the subject of note in the years following its release. Apartment Life's disparate themes have influenced several later expansion packs for The Sims 3 and The Sims 4.