REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 8, 2006--Electronic
Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced that the signature sound of gold
record selling teen music sensations Aly & AJ has been translated to
The Sims™ native language, Simlish. "Chemicals React," the popular
single from the Deluxe Edition of Into the Rush, has been recorded in
Simlish and will be made available to both music and gaming fans when
The Sims™ 2 Pets launches on console and PC platforms October 17,
2006. The song will also be included in the PSP®
(PlayStation®Portable) system version releasing the following month.
Fans who can't wait for the release of the game to check out the song
-- and a music video created within the world of The Sims™ 2 -- can
find the complete Simlish video on a bonus DVD in Aly & AJ's Deluxe
Edition of Into the Rush which hit store shelves today. New songs, new
art and a fold-out poster of Aly & AJ are also included in the
package.
Sims supporters and admirers of Aly & AJ can check out highlights
from the Simlish music video at www.thesims2.ea.com. Media interested
in hosting the trailer version of the Simlish music video can download
it directly from
http://info.ea.com/downloads/sims2pets/sims2pets_allyaj.zip. Yahoo!
Music will host the world premiere of the complete Simlish Aly & AJ
video on August 22nd.
Long before EA approached them for this project, Aly and AJ were
dedicated fans of The Sims franchise and near-fluent Simlish speakers.
Learning Simlish isn't easy -- The Sims development team created the
unique Simlish language by experimenting with fractured Ukrainian and
Tagalog, the language of the Philippines. The result is an
emotion-filled language that defies translation, one that Ali & AJ
have mastered beautifully!
"Aly and AJ are one of the most popular musical acts among today's
teens and pre-teens, and they are huge fans of The Sims. Bringing
their music into the game was a natural choice. They are playful, fun
and full of life, just like the game itself," said Steve Schnur,
Worldwide Executive of Music and Music Marketing.
"We are HUGE fans of The Sims, so it was really cool to be tapped
to provide music for their latest project, The Sims 2 Pets," said AJ.
"When we told EA that we could speak Simlish they were really psyched!
It was fun to reinterpret our song for The Sims and ultimately, our
fans!" Not only was the superstar sister act excited, but they felt a
common purpose with The Sims. "One of the things I have always liked
about The Sims games is that they are very inclusive, people can play
out real storylines from their lives -- like a romantic relationship
that's really gotten stressful -- and there isn't a lot of judgment,"
explained Aly. "We try to do the same thing with our music, give
people something that they can relate to, so they think, 'I really get
that, I've been through it!'"
The Simlish version of "Chemicals React" is included in The Sims 2
Pets console games, the PSP version and in the PC expansion pack(a).
The Sims 2 Pets will build on the celebrated The Sims 2 experience
that allows players to create and control characters throughout their
lives while determining the outcome of their relationships and
choosing their destiny. The addition of a new friend is guaranteed to
enrich the daily lives of your Sims! Not only will players have the
opportunity to choose from a variety of existing pet breeds, and hot
designer mixes, but they'll also be able to personally design their
new friend with the Create-a-Pet feature. The ability to customize
gives fans the opportunity to create their ideal pet by choosing their
body shape, unique markings, even their pet's personalities! As in
real life, your Sims' pet will require care and training. A neglected
cat with an urge to scratch might claw up your new couch if you aren't
careful, and leaving your dog unattended near a freshly planted flower
bed probably isn't wise!
About The Sims 2 Pets
The Sims 2 Pets will be available on the PlayStation®2 computer
entertainment system, the Nintendo GameCube™, Game Boy® Advance,
and Nintendo DS™, and as a PC expansion pack(a) that builds on the
original The Sims 2 PC game experience. A version for the PSP®
(PlayStation®Portable) system will follow in November. A mobile
version will be coming soon.
Product Specifications
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Electronic Arts Redwood Shores
Ship Date: October 17th, 2006:
-- PlayStation(R)2
-- Nintendo GameCube(TM)
-- Game Boy(R) Advance (does not feature the Aly &
AJ track)
-- Nintendo DS(TM) (does not feature the Aly & AJ
track)
-- PC expansion pack(a)
Ship Date: November 2006:
-- PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable)
Ship Date: October 17, 2006
-- Mobile platforms (does not feature the Aly & AJ
track)
Category: Simulation/Strategy
ESRB Rating: "RP-T" (Rating Pending - Teen)
(a) The Sims(TM) 2 Pets for PC requires The Sims(TM) 2 or The
Sims(TM) 2 Special DVD Edition for PC to play.
About The Sims™
The Sims franchise celebrated its fifth anniversary in February.
The game skyrocketed to the top of the charts when it began shipping
to stores in February 2000 and quickly become a universal gaming and
cultural phenomenon. The Sims™ PC based product and expansion packs
were the best selling PC games of 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003.
Translated into 17 different languages, The Sims has inspired seven
top selling expansion packs. They include: The Sims™ Livin' Large,
The Sims™ House Party, The Sims™ Hot Date, The Sims™
Vacation, The Sims™ Unleashed, The Sims™ Superstar, and The
Sims™ Makin' Magic. The Sims 2 shipped in September 2004 with sales
already topping 5M units worldwide, it was the best selling PC game of
2004. The Sims™ 2 University shipped in March 2005, The Sims™ 2
Nightlife shipped in September 2005, The Sims™ 2 Open for Business
shipped in February 2006. Combined sales for the franchise are
approximately 70M games life-to-date. For more information on The Sims
2, visit http://www.thesims2.com and for more information on The Sims
franchise titles, visit http://www.thesims.com
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City,
California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software
company. Founded in 1982, the company develops, publishes, and
distributes interactive software worldwide for videogame systems,
personal computers and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its
products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA SPORTS
BIG™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2006, EA posted revenue of $2.95
billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's
homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about
EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the
Internet at http://info.ea.com.
Electronic Arts, EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG, POGO and The Sims
are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the
U.S. and/or other countries. "PlayStation" and "PSP" are registered
trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. ™, ®, Nintendo
GameCube, Nintendo DS, and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of
Nintendo. All other trademarks are the property of their respective
owners.
MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE:
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5205028
CONTACT: Electronic Arts
Tammy Schachter, 650-628-7223
tschachter@ea.com
Amanda Taggart, 650-628-2729
ataggart@ea.com
Tiffany Spencer, 650-628-9193
tspencer@ea.com
SOURCE: Electronic Arts