The Sims Online Free Trial becomes permanent free game

Currently, the free trial version of the Sims Online game is under review. Very soon, according to EA, the free trial will become a permanent free game. Good news for those of us who can’t afford the $ 9.99 a month for the full game, but what prompted this change?

Well, simply put, EA is stuck. The Sims Online was released to the public four years ago and has gained a relatively small user base. The immensely popular game Second Life was released at the same time, and it has gone from strength to strength. Now, Second Life is a very good game and with different strengths to the Sims Online, but the Sims comes from a franchise that has the two best-selling games of all time. It shouldn’t have been too difficult for EA to come up with a game, then, that at least landed in the top 10% of online games. And initially, they did.

At the beginning of January 2003, Sims Online claimed more than 100,000 active subscriptions, making it to the top of the online games list. Sales skyrocketed and EA projected 40,000 subscribers by the end of the year. And then they gave up. Luc Barthelet, the senior vice president of Electronic Arts, apparently turned his back on the game and the bugs and instabilities were left unresolved. Traps emerged that allowed players to obtain large amounts of Simoleons (the currency of the Sims Online), effectively destroying the game’s economy and disabling many of the game’s objectives (such as employment). Before the cheats came out, Simoleons could be sold on eBay for real money, which is one of the attractions for many new players, who want to believe that their in-game actions have some kind of effect in the real world.

So Second Life grew and the Sims Online, an online version of the most popular games of all time – sank into darkness. Some loyal users stuck with it, but most gamers left it alone, instead of finding newer games with more interesting and innovative features. That, however, is about to change. Luc Barthelet announced in March 2007 that he would re-engage in the game. Forums have been accessed for the first time in years, and the Sims Online world is undergoing a restructuring.

One of the first moves EA is making is creating new cities for players to explore. They are also changing the logo and are committed to closing the loopholes that allow money traps. Registration will be greatly simplified and the free trial will soon become a permanent free game. Of course, there will be limitations: only one city choice for the non-paying; just one avatar; less initial money. Nonetheless, this is a true show of commitment from EA, and it is sure to attract a lot of new players. New players, pay or not, will bring the game to life, and that must be a good thing for EA, whose image was somewhat tarnished by its failure.

So why now? Well, The Sims 3 will be released (possibly) in 2008, which might have something to do with it. Nobody wants a dead goose on display when they’re trying to generate publicity for their new product, and it will take a while for the Sims Online to get back to normal. However, this is a very promising (re) beginning and a very exciting time to step into the world of the Sims Online. New features like AvatarBook, which works much like Facebook, will help spark interest and could attract a very large audience. Few people who have played The Sims games haven’t wondered what it would be like to play with other people, but most have been put off by bad reviews or advice from their friends. Now everything is ready to change, and the community can only get stronger and stronger. The question, then, is not why EA is making these changes now, but why it didn’t make them earlier. Now we can just play and wait, and hope EA gets it right this time.