On December 15, 2011, The Sims™ FreePlay launched on the mobile app stores. Now, the game has just turned double-digits.
So, what exactly is the secret spice that’s kept The Sims™ FreePlay in development for so long? Maybe it’s the storytelling. Maybe it’s the styling and building features. Or.... maybe it’s just a team of hard-working developers who love what they do, some who have been with The Sims™ FreePlay since its inception.
Over the last two years while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Simulation team of likeminded devs; artists, product managers, producers, project managers, engineers, audio, UX, QA, animators, analysts, marketing and community – along with their dogs and cats sitting nearby - continue to design meaningful live service updates. The weekly live events deliver content for all elements of Sims gameplay - for Stylists, Builders & Storytellers – as well as our ongoing commitment to improving representation and to celebrate diverse cultures.
Mavis Chan, Product Director, believes that The Sims™ FreePlay has an important part to play as part of The Sims franchise and ecosystem. “We empower our mobile community to play with life and celebrate every part of their identity through their Sims. This year we’ve improved our Active Tasks menu and created an entirely new neighborhood for our players to build on and explore – which also ensures that our players can spend more time doing the things they love with their Sims.”
Leading up to the birthday, Firemonkeys have been commemorating the milestone with players, through special ‘Party of the Decade’ events and promotions in game.
To thank players for their continued support, the team created an Anniversary Quest which requires a Sim to visit the SimTown nightclub and boogie with the game team on the dance floor to receive free daily presents, plus exclusive offers on décor and build mode items that have never been available in the game before now.
Almost 10 years later, The Sims™ FreePlay continues to be recognized for its excellence in ongoing efforts in diversity and inclusion. Earlier in August, the game was nominated by the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA) in the annual industry event held at the Australian Game Developer Awards. FreePlay became a finalist in the ‘Excellence in Ongoing Games’ category for the Outstanding Achievement in the field of Games as a Service in 2021 for their efforts in creating inclusive content as well as developing new features to help deliver authentic Sims gameplay experiences for all players to enjoy.
Firemonkeys continues to partner with employee resource groups (ERGs) within Electronic Arts to ensure that their diverse and cultural content is authentic to each community and that it’s delivered in an inclusive and thoughtful way.
“This past year has seen The Sims FreePlay deliver multitudes of diverse content that not only better represents our players, but was also inspired by our community requests,” said Danni Hindi, Producer. “The whole team is so proud of what we've been able to deliver so far and we're not done. It’s truly been an honour to be able to advocate for and coordinate the creation of our inclusivity content. I hope that our LGBTQIA+, African American, Muslim, Japanese and Indian Simmers can feel empowered with meaningful representation to create Sims and worlds that reflect their true selves and their cultures.”
Community feedback and user generated creations that the studio see every day helped the developers shape their live service updates as they continue to push boundaries and build innovative content for millions of players to tell their Sims stories.
“As we look back on our 10 years of history, we’re thrilled with what we’ve been able to achieve to represent diversity and inclusion in our game!” says Studio General Manager, Joe Donoghue. “The team is excited to continue to bring even more initiatives in this space as we welcome new players to SimTown, while we celebrate our existing Simmers that have played our game since day 1 and experienced over 78 live service updates on the app store.”
Nigel Kay, Associate Technical Director and lead Engineer on The Sims™ FreePlay, has worked at Firemonkeys since the game’s inception. “The game launched with one neighborhood, around 100 outfits and only a few ‘life stages’. Now, we have over 15,000 clothing options and best in class building gameplay features that our entire team - past and present - have helped deliver through live service.
“For us, making games is about pursuing what we love and having fun doing it. It’s because of the support of our fans that we’re able to innovate, explore new worlds and new ways to tell stories – and if we’re being honest - a lot of us were fans before we started working here.”
As EA’s Firemonkeys Studio continues to grow and shape the future of the mobile gaming industry, the game team have also grown exponentially as they continue to develop Real Racing 3, Need for Speed: No Limits and The Sims™ FreePlay with a total of almost 100 team members. The Sims™ FreePlay team is looking to the future and working on their vision of creating more exciting content. The studio is always on the lookout for diverse people that are just as passionate as they are, about inspiring the world of creative play and bringing impactful moments to life.
If you’re ready to join them and work on some of the biggest mobile gaming franchises in the world, Firemonkeys Studio have available job openings across multiple disciplines, including internships. Internships are considered valuable assets to the team and contribute directly to the game development process whilst being supported throughout their internship period.
For the latest news, insights, events and fan creations, follow EA’s Firemonkeys Studio on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Jump into The Sims FreePlay to discover a new playstyle and be inspired to try a new you. Download the mobile game here!