Advertising Age – Crossovers between real and simulated worlds

You can find a new article on Advertising Age which follows The Sims 2 Ikea Home Stuff and how the various Sim games incorporated real life products into their games.  I remember back when the H&M Stuff Pack was released that they had a contest for the best designed Sims item to be re-created as a real product to be sold.  Wish there would be something similiar for the Ikea Stuff pack, but this quote killed my hopes:

As for the furniture retailer, there aren’t plans at this point to launch a design contest, similar to H&M’s, that would land “Sims” products in Ikea stores. The partnership, however, does provide players with virtual versions of 60 of Ikea’s well-known products, such as the Ektorp sofa and Leksvik coffee table. Players had been requesting the furnishings by name, prompting the collaboration, execs said.

‘Sims 2’ Isn’t Just a Game, It’s a Lifestyle