EA celebrates 25 years of The Sims with re-releases of classic games

Feb 3

Kennedy Felton Lifestyle Correspondent/Producer

By Kennedy Felton (Lifestyle Correspondent/Producer), Zachary Hill (Video Editor)

The Sims franchise, a game known for creativity and self-expression, turns 25 this year. It has allowed players to build dream homes, design digital avatars, and live out endless possibilities since its release in 2000.

The Sims 4 has become the most widely played game in the franchise’s history, with over 70 million players worldwide as of 2023.

Creators are celebrating the milestone by re-releasing The Sims 1 and The Sims 2 for longtime fans and new players alike.

For 25 years, The Sims has been a go-to game for creativity and self-expression. The life simulation franchise lets players build dream homes, design digital selves and live out endless possibilities.

But people aren’t just playing the game anymore. In many ways, The Sims predicted how people express themselves in today’s digital world.

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On Feb. 4, 2000, The Sims introduced a simple idea — what if you could create and control an entire life? The game’s success led to four main versions, with dozens of expansion packs and re-releases keeping the franchise fresh.

Its original release, The Sims 1, included a recommended reading list in the manual featuring literature and fictional titles meant to enhance players’ understanding of the game’s themes.

The evolution of The Sims

Despite its humor, The Sims became a blueprint for something bigger.

The Sims 2 (2004) introduced complex emotions and family dynamics.

The Sims 3 (2009) gave players a seamless open-world experience.

The Sims 4 (2014) offered more customization than ever, allowing players to experience everything from college life to eco-friendly neighborhoods.

The franchise kept evolving, but players wanted even more control.

Mods — short for modifications — transformed The Sims beyond what developers originally designed.

Creators introduced highly detailed custom fashion, improved emotional responses, and even supernatural storylines. Some mods changed how Sims interact, adding realism with acne, social anxiety and personality tweaks. Others introduced entirely new fantasy worlds.

“When I was in high school, I thought I’d like to go into architecture,” one player said. “So when The Sims came along, it just seemed like the best outlet for me to show my creativity.”

The Sims’ real-world impact

According to a press release from EA, The Sims 4 is the most widely played game in franchise history, with more than 70 million players worldwide.

The franchise’s influence extends beyond gaming. The Sims has shaped how people interact online. Social media, virtual influencers and AI-driven self-expression reflect many ideas first explored in The Sims.

Players once designed characters with unique personas and controlled social lives in the game. Today, the same concept plays out in real life with AI-generated influencers and virtual identities.

Celebrating 25 years of The Sims

As The Sims enters its 25th year, EA is celebrating the game’s legacy. The company has re-released The Sims 1 and The Sims 2, allowing longtime fans and new players to experience the games that started it all.

Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, Gaming, video games

[KENNEDY FELTON]

For 25 years, The Sims has been a go-to game for creativity and self-expression—letting players build dream homes, design digital avatars, and live out endless possibilities.

But people aren’t just playing the game anymore. In many ways, The Sims predicted how we express ourselves in today’s digital world.

February 4, 2000. The Sims introduced a simple idea—what if you could create and control an entire life? They made that possible with not one, but four main versions of the game along with dozens of expansion packs and re-releases, keeping the franchise relevant for decades.

With the original release of “The Sims 1”, a “recommended reading” list was included in the game’s manual, introducing the game to the world by featuring literature and fictional titles aiming to enhance the players’ understanding of the game’s themes.

FOR EXAMPLE – “Home: A Short History of an Idea” EXPLORES THE EVOLUTION OF HOME DESIGN…

… WHILE “A PATTERN LANGUAGE” DISCUSSES HOW PEOPLE INTERACT WITH SPACE – MUCH LIKE HOW SIMS NAVIGATE THEIR HOMES.

“RELAX… IT’S JUST A JOKE!”

But even as the game kept its lighthearted tone, it also became a blueprint for something much bigger. The Sims 2 in 2004 introduced more complex emotions and family dynamics…

…while The Sims 3 gave players an open world experience.

By the time The Sims 4 arrived in 2014, the game was more customizable than ever, with expansions allowing players to live out everything from college life to eco-friendly neighborhoods.

But even with all the official updates, players wanted more control over their simulated worlds—leading to the rise of mods, short for modifications.

MODS EXPANDED THE GAME WITH HIGHLY DETAILED CUSTOM FASHION… ENHANCED EMOTIONAL REACTIONS… AND EVEN NEW LIFE SIMULATIONS FROM SUPERNATURAL BEINGS… ALLOWING PLAYERS TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF THEIR CREATIVITY.

“WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, I THOUGHT I’D LIKE TO GO INTO ARCHITECTURE so when The Sims came along it just seemed like the best outlet for me to show my creativity.”

While some players use it to build upon their own creative skills, the Senior Animation Director for The Sims tells “Fast Company”:

“When you’re cooking, or going to sleep, or making up the bed, or doing these life actions, a lot of your players actually want to experience them in this extremely whimsical and playful fashion. Nobody wants to see that in a replica of actual real life the exact same way,” – Nawwaf Barakat

And players did just that. According to EA, The Sims 4 game became the most widely played game in the franchise history, with more than 70 million players worldwide as of 2023 and more than 500 million players since 2000.

Fast forward to today—we’re seeing that same creativity used to play the game shape the way we interact online. The line between virtual life and real life is blurring, in a way that makes the game feel more relevant than ever—whether through modding, social media, or customized AI chatbots like Replika.

“THE DEEPER OUR CONVERSATIONS, THE MORE WE OPEN UP, THE MORE I CAN DO FOR YOU.”

As The Sims enters its 25th year, creators are celebrating the franchise’s legacy with re-releases of The Sims 1 and The Sims 2, allowing both longtime fans and new players to experience the game that started it all.