EA's John Riccitiello speaks out on The Sims Social Facebook launch date... or doesn't

In EA's most recent earnings / conference call, CEO John Riccitiello was questioned about the expected popularity of EA's upcoming (and highly anticipated) Facebook game, The Sims Social. While the game's Facebook fan page already has 868,000 Likes, Riccitiello still wouldn't reveal just what percentage of the franchise's user-base are predicted to make the transition to this new social version.

That's not all Riccitiello held back though, as a launch date will likely never be released before the game suddenly appears on the platform. Why? Competitive advertising. As reported by Gamasutra, Riccitiello explained the company's decision, both on the lack of an announced release date, and on withholding any predictions as to traffic:

"We aren't going to put out the stats. They're highly sensitive competitive comparisons, which is one of the reasons we're also not giving you a launch date. It's relatively easy for a competitor to buy all the relevant advertising, say 24, 36, 48 hours prior to a release."

This, says Riccitiello, would greatly impact (and not in a good way) EA's chances of marketing the game itself, as its competitors will have beaten EA to the proverbial punch. Alas, for now, that seems to be all we'll be told about the game's launch date beforehand, but you can be sure that we'll let you know when the Sims Social finally goes live. We can't wait!

Playfish founder: We have redefined social games with The Sims Social

The Sims Social is just an arm's reach from being the number one game on Facebook, so this kind of logic is expected. In an interview with MCV, Playfish founder and co-GM Kristian Segerstrale said, "In bringing one of EA's most popular game franchises to Facebook, Playfish and The Sims team have redefined the meaning of social in video games."

While The Sims Social certainly treads some new ground in how Facebook gamers interact, it's important to remember to chalk up much of the game's runaway success to the brand it's attached to. In just over a month since its release, The Sims Social has skyrocketed to become the second most popular Facebook game to date in both daily and monthly players, AppData reports.

Just last week, EA's (which owns Playfish) proverbial secret weapon ousted Zynga's iconic and ubiquitous FarmVille in daily players, but now the game has even more monthly players than the household name farming simulator with over 43.8 million and counting. The Sims Social has dipped a bit in daily players, but is just about 2.9 million fans away from beating out the might CityVille as the most played Facebook game daily.

"By combining Playfish's expertise and passion for social play with the deep creative heritage of The Sims franchise and the insights of its creators, we feel we've brought something very special to life – and tens of millions of players around the world have responded with extraordinary enthusiasm over the last few weeks," Segerstrale said to MCV.

The founder went on to say that new features to The Sims Social will land in the coming months. And we're sure that if EA wants to host the top Facebook game overall, that those features will have to be even more groundbreaking than before. How's about in-game marriages, eh? (Because we all know how well that's worked elsewhere.)

Have you been a part of The Sims Social craze on Facebook? Do you think it's incredible growth is due to its reportedly groundbreaking social features, or is more thanks to its name (it could always be both)?

Sims Social survey lets you sound off on item prices, favorite features and more

It's that time folks - time to let your collective voices be heard! EA wants to know how much fun (or not) you're having with the Sims Social on Facebook, and they've released a fairly long survey to help you tell them. This survey contains all sorts of questions, ranging from the basics of how often you play the game, to allowing you to rate your opinion on item pricing (are they too cheap? too expensive?) and what some of your favorite features are in the game.

Of course, the point of all of this is to gather enough opinions to actually sway the way the game develops in the future. Hopefully, with questions dealing with how much we like to "build" items with parts (bookcases, double beds, etc.), and the option to say that you don't like it at all, we may actually see a lessening in those kinds of items, if enough users agree. You can even rank various gameplay features (decorating your house, visiting friends, customizing your Sim, etc.) in the order that you like them. In this way, perhaps we'll see more focus being placed on the most (overall) liked feature, and you'll be able to say you helped to make that happen.

Unfortunately, this isn't the kind of survey that will allow you to give your opinion on future item sets, but there are plenty of blank text boxes for you to say exactly what you want to the developers in a place that you know they'll see it. Again, this survey is prety lengthy (when compared to other Facebook game surveys anyway), so you'll want to make sure you have around 5-10 minutes to set aside to take it.

We've taken this survey as well, and if we start to notice any gameplay changes arising because of options listed here, we'll make sure to let you know. In the meantime, head over to this link right here to take the survey for yourself.

The Sims Social: Celebrate the last days of summer with new Summer House theme

With the mass popularity of the Sims Social on Facebook, it's no surprise that Playfish / EA are continually adding new decorative items to the game's store, allowing you to personalize your home in new ways. Specifically, this week sees the launch of a "Summer House" theme of items, with items being available for your living room, bedroom and even outdoor areas. There are also plenty of decorative items here to take a look at, so we'll do our best to give you a complete guide to these new items. Check them out!

SolTrain Cubic (Shelving Unit)

    * Costs: 35 SimCash
    * Value: $5,150


SolTrain Chair (Buildable item)

    * Costs: 2,250 coins
    * Value: $1,800


SolTrain Kingsize (Bed)

    * Costs: 79 SimCash
    * Value: $11,700
    * Sleep Stat: 11


SolTrain Rays (Lamp)

    * Costs: 3 SimCash
    * Value: $450


BasketCase Travel (Requires Level 30)

    * Value: $350


SolTrain UV Lite

    * Costs: 12 SimCash
    * Value: $1,750


BasketCase XL (Requires Level 30)

    * Value: $600


SolTrain UV XL (Lamp)

    * Costs: 22 SimCash
    * Value: $3,250


Summer Tones (Painting - requires level 30)

    * Value: $750


Woody Divider (Requires Level 24)

    * Value: $1,300



SolTrain BagelUp

    * Costs: 5 SimCash
    * Value: $750


Woody Boxout B (Kitchen cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)

    * Value: $1,650


Woody Boxout L (Kitchen Cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)

    * Value: $1,650


SolTrain Panama (Outdoor Bed)

    * Costs: 49 Sim Cash
    * Value: $7,250


SolTrain Snug (Buildable item - requires Level 30)

    * Value: $2,200


Palm Tree

    * Costs: 1,750 coins
    * Value: $1,650
    * Happiness Stat: 3
    * Social Stat: 3


SolTrain Parasol

    * Costs: 59 SimCash
    * Value: $8,700


SolTrain Swing (Buildable item - requires Level 30)

    * Value: $4,850
    * Sleep Stat: 3


UltiMax Top Deck (Stereo)

    * Costs: 59 SimCash
    * Value: $8,700
    * Fun Stat: 5


In addition to all of these items, there's a full set of windows available in the Build menu is a new "Alpine" theme, which consists of a dark tan, almost orange colored frame. Four flooring options are available for either Social Points or (at most) a single SimCash per tile, and the theme is rounded out with a "SolTrain Beach" wallpaper that costs 55 Social Points per square.

As with previously released themes, these Summer House items don't appear to be limited edition; rather, they should be available permanently in the game's store. That being the case, you should be able to save up coins, or Social Points, or have time to purchase SimCash long into the future to create this theme in your home as far into the future as you like. If we see this change, we'll make sure to let you know.

What do you think of these Summer House items in Sims Social? What kinds of items would you like to see released next in the game? Sound off in the comments.

The Sims Social: Celebrate the last days of summer with new Summer House theme

With the mass popularity of the Sims Social on Facebook, it's no surprise that Playfish / EA are continually adding new decorative items to the game's store, allowing you to personalize your home in new ways. Specifically, this week sees the launch of a "Summer House" theme of items, with items being available for your living room, bedroom and even outdoor areas. There are also plenty of decorative items here to take a look at, so we'll do our best to give you a complete guide to these new items. Check them out!

SolTrain Cubic (Shelving Unit)

    * Costs: 35 SimCash
    * Value: $5,150


SolTrain Chair (Buildable item)

    * Costs: 2,250 coins
    * Value: $1,800


SolTrain Kingsize (Bed)

    * Costs: 79 SimCash
    * Value: $11,700
    * Sleep Stat: 11


SolTrain Rays (Lamp)

    * Costs: 3 SimCash
    * Value: $450


BasketCase Travel (Requires Level 30)

    * Value: $350


SolTrain UV Lite

    * Costs: 12 SimCash
    * Value: $1,750


BasketCase XL (Requires Level 30)

    * Value: $600


SolTrain UV XL (Lamp)

    * Costs: 22 SimCash
    * Value: $3,250


Summer Tones (Painting - requires level 30)

    * Value: $750


Woody Divider (Requires Level 24)

    * Value: $1,300



SolTrain BagelUp

    * Costs: 5 SimCash
    * Value: $750


Woody Boxout B (Kitchen cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)

    * Value: $1,650


Woody Boxout L (Kitchen Cabinet - requires Level 26 - Buildable item)

    * Value: $1,650


SolTrain Panama (Outdoor Bed)

    * Costs: 49 Sim Cash
    * Value: $7,250


SolTrain Snug (Buildable item - requires Level 30)

    * Value: $2,200


Palm Tree

    * Costs: 1,750 coins
    * Value: $1,650
    * Happiness Stat: 3
    * Social Stat: 3


SolTrain Parasol

    * Costs: 59 SimCash
    * Value: $8,700


SolTrain Swing (Buildable item - requires Level 30)

    * Value: $4,850
    * Sleep Stat: 3


UltiMax Top Deck (Stereo)

    * Costs: 59 SimCash
    * Value: $8,700
    * Fun Stat: 5


In addition to all of these items, there's a full set of windows available in the Build menu is a new "Alpine" theme, which consists of a dark tan, almost orange colored frame. Four flooring options are available for either Social Points or (at most) a single SimCash per tile, and the theme is rounded out with a "SolTrain Beach" wallpaper that costs 55 Social Points per square.

As with previously released themes, these Summer House items don't appear to be limited edition; rather, they should be available permanently in the game's store. That being the case, you should be able to save up coins, or Social Points, or have time to purchase SimCash long into the future to create this theme in your home as far into the future as you like. If we see this change, we'll make sure to let you know.

What do you think of these Summer House items in Sims Social? What kinds of items would you like to see released next in the game? Sound off in the comments.