Gaming News - March 2003

Redwood City, CA (March 4, 2003) - Electronic Arts today announced that The Sims Online has added secure trading to its economic system.

From Maxis:

To date, the economy boasts over 4.7 billion Simoleons amassed by Sims through building skills and assets, utilizing job objects, devising business ventures, and having other Sims visit their properties. The addition of secure trading gives Sims a protected system to buy, sell and exchange goods with other Sims in the online world. Virtual transactions have reached a whole new level of reliability in The Sims Online.

"For quite some time, secure trading has been part of my overall economic vision for The Sims Online," said Will Wright, Game Designer of The Sims Online at EA's Maxis™ Studio. "It is the cornerstone of a fully functioning online economy."

The addition of secure trading to The Sims Online economy allows players to transfer ownership of objects and items to other Sims. It also enables players to sell used objects to other bargain hunting Sims for discounted prices. In addition, players now can mutually agree on a fair trade price for a specific object and make a transaction without one player being left holding the bag. Online wheeling and dealing has never been so dependable and easy!

Here's how it works:
Sim Pixie Dust is currently creating a coffee shop on her lot in The Sims Online. She finds herself in need of some comfy couches but short on funds. Enterprising in nature, she goes window shopping in her online city seeking a sweet deal on three sofas. A quick in-game search brings her to Bill's Bargain Basement Emporium. Sim Bargain Bill makes her an offer: Three couches for 1500 Simoleons and her Poseidon Adventure Aquarium. Pixie counters with an offer of 1275 Simoleons and her Duke Tubula Memorial Surf Board. They strike the deal using the new in-game secure trading technology. Another satisfied customer in The Sims Online!

This is just one of the thousands of examples of what is already happening in the emerging economic environment of The Sims Online. As Sims continue to accumulate Simoleons through skill development, visitor bonuses and entrepreneurial ventures in their online world, look for new and exciting advancements in this virtual market place.

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