"The Sims" Go Hollywood

"The Sims" have sold over 85 million copies since game maker Will Wright first introduced the game to audiences. The franchise has jumped from PS to consoles to portables to cell phones. At one point, there was even a "Sims" TV show concept in the works. Now, 20th Century Fox is bringing "The Sims" to the big screen. Not much has been released other than the fact that the film will tap into the age old question of--if you have ultimate power, what would you do with it? Whether the movie goes live action or CGI is also up in the air.

EA is working with Fox on "The Simpsons" game, which comes out this fall for next gen platforms and focuses on the TV series. It will play out like an original, longer episode of the show. It's likely that the partnership that EA has opened with Fox lead to "The Sims" movie deal. EA, which owns multiple IPs, has never granted Hollywood access to its properties in the past. Whether this marks a new beginning for the company or not, remains to be seen. In recent years, EA has shifted away from Hollywood-licensed videogames dropping the James Bond franchise altogether. The company still has new "Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter" games coming out from past deals, and it has plans for more than just one "Simpsons" game, but overall, EA has been focusing on new IP.

Fans of "The Sims" will have plenty of new games to play this year. EA continues to bring out new games for multiple consoles and PC to satiate the ever-expanding audience of fans. Unlike most games, over half of "Sims" players are female. This especially bodes well for a blockbuster film from Fox, since they can target more than just the male gaming demographic on the big screen.