Sigh, I guess EA is trying their damnest to milk as much money as possible from the Sims franchise.  While it may be good for some people if they don’t perfer owning a whole expansion/stuff pack, I think it is ridiculous. 

EA has just announced The Sims Store, a place where you can buy downloadable objects for your game that are either from previous expansions/stuff packs or entirely new objects….in fact, they already have quite a few new objects, so I guess you can saw goodbye to free downloads from the official site from now on – you’ll probably have to start paying for them.

While some objects are free, most require the purchase of SimPoints.  I took a screencap of what the currency is worth below.  From what I can tell, a lot of the objects are in the range of 50, 75, and 100 SimPoints.

Here is the press release and a trailer below that.

THE SIMS™ 2 STORE, ALL-NEW ONLINE SHOPPING
DESTINATION FOR YOUR SIMS, GOES LIVE TODAY

Now Select From A Range of Thousands Of Items For Your Sims!REDWOOD CITY, CA. – June 30, 2008 -The Sims™, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) Label, today announced that The Sims™ 2 Store is live at www.thesims2store.com for online shoppers in the US and Canada. This new online shopping destination from The Sims Label enables players of The Sims 2 to choose from a range of thousands of items for their Sims. Select from fashions, furnishings, décor, entertainment, home office items, and more – easily, instantly and with peace-of-mind! By registering at www.thesims2store.com, players are able to browse, purchase and download new items directly into their games, which they must have already purchased and installed. In celebration of the opening, all new registrants to The Sims 2 Store receive six free items for download as a special thank you!

 

The Sims 2 Store features items from The Sims 2 Expansion Packs* and Stuff Packs along with all-new exclusive content that is not available anywhere else. These collections include furnishings, outfits and hairstyles. Among the more than 1,000 items, today the site features more than 100 all-new, exclusives, which include special themed assortments from Art Deco and Cubic styles.

The Sims 2 Store is our first online shopping destination, designed with your Sims in mind,” said Rod Humble, Head of Studio for The Sims Label. “Download the items that you would like from some of our Expansion Packs and Stuff Packs, along with all-new, exclusive items made available only at The Sims 2 Store. The selection of items is perfect for your Sims and you have the ability to pick-and-choose only the items that you want. The online assortment on the site is updated regularly, making shopping for The Sims 2 a fun and fresh experience.”

With The Sims 2 Store, players can spark their creativity and enrich the lives of their Sims, while expanding storytelling options, as they shop online with convenience and security. Featuring an easy-to-use, intuitive catalog-style navigation, The Sims 2 Store uses a simple purchase process through the introduction of SimPoints, which can be redeemed for items and are payable with all major credit cards. Currently all credit card billing addresses must be in the US or Canada to buy SimPoints.

The Sims 2 Store includes items from a number of Expansion Packs*, including The Sims 2 University, The Sims 2 Nightlife, The Sims 2 Open for Business, The Sims 2 Pets, The Sims 2 Seasons, and The Sims 2 Bon Voyage, and Stuff Packs*, including The Sims 2 Family Fun, The Sims 2 Glamour Life, The Sims 2 Celebration and The Sims 2 Teen Style. Check out The Sims 2 Store today!

Check out The Sims 2 Store today!
www.thesims2store.com

About The Sims Franchise
The Sims franchise celebrates an impressive over 100 million units sold since its launch in February 2000. Now translated into 22 different languages in 60 different countries, The Sims has quickly become a universal gaming and cultural phenomenon. For the latest information about The Sims and to check out the hottest creations for The Sims 2 made by our community members, please visit www.thesims2.com. To stay up-to-date on The Sims 3 news and information, check out www.thesims3.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 video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA SPORTS Freestyle TM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 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.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle, POGO and The Sims are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

* Requires The Sims 2 Double Deluxe, The Sims 2 Deluxe, The Sims 2 Special DVD Edition, or The Sims 2 Holiday Edition for PC to play.