EA announced that they'll be developing multiple games featuring Katy Perry including special in-game items, environments and virtual goods. Perry's likeness will first pop-up in The Sims 3 Showtime: Katy Perry, a collectors' edition of The Sims launching in March 2012.
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The Sims is a role-playing game that lets players control an avatar as they go about their daily lives. Showtime is an expansion pack to The Sims 3 where players can try to turn their avatars into digital superstars including professional singers, acrobats, magicians or DJs.
The Katy Perry version of Showtime includes downloadable content such as hairstyles, props, guitars and even a stage venue all pulled from Perry's life. Perry, who has always championed a positive, do-anything attitude, felt the series spoke to her own aspirational message:
"I love how you're able to play out different stories through your Sims characters - giving them different careers and watching them succeed. It’s cool to see the Sims’ stage performances in The Sims 3 Showtime decked out just like my California Dreams Tour – even my cotton candy video screens are in there! I always like to think of myself as a cartoon, and now I’m a Sim!”
Of course the partnership isn't all sunshine and rainbows, Perry will be featured in new advertising and marketing campaigns around her game and the series at large. The Sims have been doing gang-busters even without Perry. Since its launch in 2009, The Sims 3 has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and was the best-selling PC title for 2009 in North America and Europe. The franchise has expanded to Facebook where The Sims Social, released in 2011, attracted more than 50 million monthly active users in just its first month.
The Sims, as a series, has become a global gaming phenomenon. The Perry partnership is meant to continue that forward march while, presumably, attracting a younger, female demographic. Perry is also no stranger to The Sims. In 2008, Perry recorded a version of her hit song "Hot n Cold" in "Simlish," the made up gibberish language spoken by Sims characters. The recording, featured The Sims 2 is the most popular Simlish music video to date: "Being a gamer myself and a big fan of The Sims, I had a blast recording "Hot N Cold' in Simlish,” Perry said in 2008.
The Sims 3 is available on basically every gaming platform including PC, Mac, iOS devices, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and Wii. The Sims 3 Showtime Katy Perry is available for pre-order for $39.99.
source: yahoo
