The Sims Online Goes Free at EA-Land

The Sims Online is being overhauled and re-released in a new free-to-play world called EA-Land.

The new online world will host all 12 of the cities that comprised The Sims Online, and will feature the addition of a new map, 100 times larger than any previous city. Players will now be able to maintain multiple Sims per city, and the game will also support greater numbers of concurrent users.

EA-approved user-created content is supported, allowing players to view and purchase items created by other players, and the in-game economy has been fixed to eliminate the flaws contained in The Sims Online. Subscribers will receive an allotment of "simoleans" (Sims currency) each week, and can also purchase them directly from Maxis via PayPal.

"If you played The Sims Online before, we have played together and I would like you to rejoin us in the game: My avatar is MaxisLuc (yes, I work for Maxis/EA)," Luc Barthelet, a member of the original Sims Online production team, wrote on the EA-Land website. "At the beginning of last year I assembled a team to improve The Sims Online. After months of ongoing hard work, we can proudly say that we have been successful and we have made this game fun again!"

Former Sims Online players who rejoin the game before March 2008 will be eligible for an "amnesty program" which will return all previously-earned privileges, such as gifts and skill locks. Interested Sims fans can head to ea-land.ea.com for more information and sign-up links.