The Sims 3, the latest in Electronic Arts' blockbuster life simulation franchise, has exceeded 1.4 million PC and Mac sales in its first week on shelves, the publisher said today.
According to EA, that figure represents the strongest PC game launch the company has ever had. The game was developed by the Sims team out of Electronic Arts' Redwood Shores headquarters.
Following unsightly public controversies over the use of digital rights management in previous EA titles like Maxis' Spore, Electronic Arts announced prior to The Sims 3's release that it would contain only a basic disc check.
"We feel like this is a good, time-proven solution that makes it easy for you to play the game without DRM methods that feel overly invasive or leave you concerned about authorization server access in the distant future," the company said in a statement.
Early reaction to The Sims 3 seems to be that it is a more significant mechanical evolution of the game than the relatively iterative The Sims 2. Critical reception to the title has been uniformly positive, with an 87% average rating on Metacritic.
Though involved on a consultative basis, The Sims designer Will Wright, founder of the series' original developer Maxis, is not thought to have played a significant role in the game's development, and has now left Electronic Arts for his own Stupid Fun Club think tank.
