Players "Drive The Change" and Reap Benefits of Electric Vehicles
Inside World's Best-selling PC Franchise*
LONDON, Apr 19, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and Renault today announced a
multi-year agreement that will enable players of The SimsTM
3 PC/Mac to integrate Renault's forthcoming range of electric
vehicles into one of the world's most successful entertainment
franchises across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and
Asia.
This Spring, Renault's Twizy Z.E Concept car - will be made available to
download free of charge** by The Sims 3 players within an
'Electric Vehicle Pack' (EVP), which will comprise a number of
sustainable environmental items including solar panels and a windmill.
The use of the EVP inside The Sims 3 will have positive
repercussions for a player's in-game family by reducing their weekly
virtual household bills.
"This partnership delivers benefits for Renault and the consumer that
are unique in today's media landscape," said Elizabeth Harz, Senior Vice
President of Global Media Sales for EA. "Millions of The Sims 3 players
will be able to download Renault concept vehicles and have a deep
experience with the brand, while receiving genuine added gameplay value."
"The Sims 3 players have demonstrated consistent enthusiasm for
bringing cool 'real world' brands into their virtual world," said Steve
Seabolt, VP of Global Brand Development for The Sims. "We're
excited to work with Renault on their electric vehicles and have them
available for download for The Sims 3."
"Electric vehicles are going to appeal to younger, more socially
conscious customers and especially early adopters," said Stephen Norman,
SVP, Global Marketing for the Renault Group. "This is the heartland of The
Sims 3 community and it thus provides a great innovative way to
build the Renault Brand just ahead of the Renault range of affordable
electric vehicles themselves."
This partnership was negotiated by OMD Fuse International on behalf of
Renault.
* According to NPD data, Chart-track UK, Gfk France, Gfk Spain, Gfk-MCC
Germany and EA internal estimate
**Download expires April 1, 2012. Update to the latest version of The
Sims 3 launcher required for download. Download requires EA
Online Account and online game registration with serial code enclosed
with The Sims 3. EA Online Terms & Conditions can be found at www.ea.com.
Minimum age requirements to register for an EA Online Account vary by
country. See The Sims 3 product for details. Offer may not be
substituted, transferred, exchanged, sold or redeemed for cash or other
goods or services. Void in US, Canada and where prohibited, taxed
or restricted by law.
About The Sims
The Sims franchise celebrates its ten year anniversary this year
and an impressive more than 125 million units sold since its launch in
February 2000. Now translated into 22 different languages and available
in 60 different countries, The Sims has quickly become a
universal gaming and cultural phenomenon. Since its June 2009 launch, The
Sims 3 has sold more than 4.5 million copies worldwide to
date and holds the #1 best-selling PC title for 2009 in North America
and Europe. Fan intensity is evidenced through the 130 million downloads
of player created content including: Sims, houses, stories and more. The
Sims 3 community site, www.thesims3.com,
welcomes up to four million unique visitors monthly, handles 300 content
downloads every minute and nearly 2 million uploads have been made to
date, including 20 movies each hour. The Sims 3 YouTube Channel
is in the top ten most viewed sponsored channels of all time with more
than 28 million video views. Visit The Sims 3 official website to
see what the players are creating at www.TheSims3.com
or the official YouTube Channel for The Sims at http://www.youtube.com/user/TheSims.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is
a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in
1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive
software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless
devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under
four brand names: EA(TM), EA SPORTS(TM), EA Mobile(TM)
and POGO(TM). In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2
billion and had 31 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.
EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile, POGO and The Sims are trademarks of Electronic
Arts Inc.
About Renault Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicles represent the clean-break solution that can put
zero-emission mobility within everybody's reach. In line with the
brand's Renault-eco2 environmental policy, Renault ZE
electric vehicles are poised to be marketed on a large scale with a view
to taking a decisive stand on the environmental front. This clean break
already possesses significant political support around the world in the
form of tax incentives based on CO2 emission savings, as well as
infrastructure development for electricity-based mobility. Renault will
be selling affordable mass-production electric vehicles from 2011. Visit
the Renault Z.E. official website at www.renault-ze.com
About TWIZY Z.E. CONCEPT: 100% electric, 100% practical, 100%
innovative
Twizy Z.E. is the definitive city-car for busy people seeking an
efficient and practical means of mobility. It is an innovative response
to the challenge of urban mobility. With its four-wheel chassis, Twizy
Z.E. offers the driver and passenger - seated one behind the other - an
all-electric means of transport, which produces no CO2 emissions. Twizy
Z.E. is an all-electric vehicle aimed primarily at busy city dwellers
who need to pick their way through the urban jungle. Every day, they
juggle work commitments with a busy social life, so efficiency, speed
and simplicity are key. The ultra-compact dimensions of Twizy Z.E.
(2.30m in length, and just 1.13m wide) ensure that it is nimble enough
for urban use. The four-wheel arrangement, open bodywork and a seat
format which puts the driver and passenger behind one another express
Twizy Z.E.'s distinctive character.
SOURCE: Electronic Arts Inc.
EA Corporate Communications
Bettina Munn, +41 (22) 316 1327
bmunn@ea.com
or
Renault
Raphaëlle Gomez, +33 (0) 1 76 84 64 69
raphaelle.gomez@renault.com
Copyright Business Wire 2010