| The Sims 3 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Maxis Redwood Shores[a] |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Producer(s) | JoAnna Lio Amos Lyndsay Pearson |
| Designer(s) | Ray Mazza Matt Goss Eric Holmberg-Weidler Juan Custer Sean Baity |
| Programmer(s) | Darren Gyles |
| Artist(s) | Morgan Godat |
| Writer(s) | Sean Baity |
| Composer(s) | Steve Jablonsky Pieter Schlosser |
| Series | The Sims |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Android, BlackBerry OS, Windows Phone, iOS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, N-Gage 2.0, Wii, Nintendo 3DS |
| Release | June 2, 2009
|
| Genre(s) | Social simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The Sims 3 is a 2009 social simulation video game developed by the Redwood Shores studio of Maxis, and published by Electronic Arts. Part of The Sims series, it is the sequel to The Sims 2. It was released on June 2, 2009, for Microsoft Windows, MacOS, and mobile versions. Console versions were released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo DS in October 2010 and a month later for Wii. The Windows Phone version was released on October 15, 2010. A Nintendo 3DS version, released on March 27, 2011, was one of the platform's launch titles.
The game follows the same premises as its predecessors The Sims and The Sims 2 and is based around a life simulation where the player controls the actions and fates of its characters, the Sims, as well as their houses and neighborhoods. The Sims 3 expands on previous games in having an open world system, where neighborhoods are completely open for the sims to move around without any loading screens. A new design tool, the Create-a-Style tool, was also introduced. Create-a-Style allows for clothing, hair, as well as most objects and walls/floors to be visually customized, with several textures and materials available to use. Custom designs can also be saved for later use.
The Sims 3 was a commercial success, selling 1.4 million copies in its first week. It received mostly positive reviews from critics, with an 86 score from aggregator Metacritic indicating "generally favorable" reviews. The game has sold over ten million copies worldwide since its release with over seven million PC copies, making it one of the best-selling PC games of all time. The game has additionally received eleven expansion packs and nine "stuff packs". A sequel, The Sims 4, was released in September 2014.
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