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In a blog post, EA has announced that it will be closing its virtual world EA-Land, formerly known as The Sims Online.
Thegame will shut down on August 1. Subscription billing ends now, so thefinal 60 days of play will be free to all. PayPal cash-in for thegame's currency is also cancelled with immediate effect.
EA-Land subscribers are offered a USD 15 rebate on any game at the EA Store, or three months of Club Pogo subscription time.
TheSims Online launched in 2002, but never achieved the popularityexpected of the Sims name. The EA-Land "experiment" in rebranding andre-designing was only recently announced.
"Decisions such asthese are never easy and the rationale for closing EA-Land isparticularly complex," said Maxis' Luc Barthelet, the man behind thegame's relaunch, before going on to thank players for their support.
"It is hard to see the end of the collective investment of emotion, time and friendship."
“It is with mixed emotions that today we are announcing the EA-Land experiment will soon draw to a close,” read the EA post.
“Since2002, EA-Land / TSO has attracted a very special group of players (ofwhich you are one) and we certainly appreciate your participation inthe EA-Land community. The lifetime of the game has drawn to an end,and now we will be focusing on new ideas and other innovative conceptsin the games arena.”
[QUOTE]
EA-Land is the last version of the game originally known as The Sims Online. Servers for TSOclosed earlier this year, and many players flocked to EA's offering tocontinue their digital lives. Service is now set to end on August 1.
As a parting gift, EA is offering $15 off any game at the EA Store aswell as three months of Club Pogo subscription time. Billing has alsobeen terminated, so players will be able to play for 60 more dayswithout paying.
Hundreds of comments follow the blog post on the official EA-Land blog, documenting time lost and memories made in the game world. Some speculate that the flexibility of Second Life has made it more attractive to "casual MMO gamers" than The Sims Online. Whatever the reason, though, the online iteration of the famed Sims franchise has run its course.
EA Statement:
Quote:
Below are some facts about how the site and service will be closed. Please see also a special message from the team that maintained EA-Land, to the community that played it. Key Facts:
On August 1, 2008, the game EA-Land / TSO will no longer be in service and EA will focus these resources on future games
Your subscription billing will end now, so that at least 60 days of your EA-Land experience will be at no cost to you
You may cancel your account and subscription at any time bycontacting customer service or by managing your EA account online. Todo this, you must log on to EA-Land / TSO to cancel within the game
Starting immediately PayPal cash-in will not be available anymore
EA Customer Support at support.ea.com is available to help answer any questions you might have regarding your account
If you are a paying subscriber as of April 29th 2008, EA would liketo offer you one of the following two gifts as a token of ourappreciation:
Paying subscribers please insure your email contact information isup to date as details of this offer will be sent out to you within 30days.
Again, thanks you to all of you.
Electronic Arts
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