EA Announces Plans for The Sims Makin' Magic

In this supernatural edition, Sims are granted magical powers with the ability to cast spells that are playful or deviant.

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EA Announces Plans for The Sims Makin' Magic

Brace Yourselves! Your Sims have Magic!

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., July 30, 2003 - Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) today announced plans to release this October The Sims™ Makin' Magic, a new expansion pack to the top-selling PC game of all time, The Sims™. In this supernatural edition, Sims are granted magical powers with the ability to cast spells that are playful or deviant. Players can venture to an all-new magical, carnival-themed destination, experience exciting new gameplay, gain over 150 new items, and encounter a whole new cast of quirky characters in this powerful pack of magical high jinx.

"With mystical talents, players can cast magical spells to improve the love lives of their Sims, wreak havoc on visiting neighbors, or put an end to tedious chores," said Jonathan Knight, Producer at EA's Maxis™ studio. "The Sims Makin' Magic will let players dive into and discover a world of magic with no boundaries."

At home, players can use their suburban magic to transform everyday objects into helpful minions, hypnotize their friends and enemies, or turn their pesky neighbor into a frog. Mystical recipes can be unlocked one by one in the family spellbook, and players can mix individual ingredients to create dozens of original incantations. Players can cast spells to take care of the needs of their Sims, keep tidy the house and cook meals, meddle with relationships, and bring ordinary objects to life. Every spell has a unique backfire, if Sims lack that magic something. Hair-raising consequences include toad plagues, snakes, and lightning strikes.

Players can renovate the kitchens of their Sims with an all-new Mediterranean kitchen set featuring a new refrigerator, sink, stove, dishwasher, and brand new tea set. To add the perfect touch, players can enjoy baking breads, pies, and cakes in the new, luxurious baker's oven. A home for The Sims would not be complete without the ability to grow vine plots and harvest grapes and berries to make and serve nectar.

When players are ready to venture out and expand upon their enchanting abilities, they can teleport to the all-new Magic Town location. While mixing it up in this new spellbinding spot, rewards can be earned while Sims perform mind-boggling tricks at a side show or dueling it out in a magic arena. Players can discover secret recipes for mystical concoctions and powerful charms while on a quest for unusual ingredients, or build wild carnival rides from the ground up.

Eclectic and eccentric new characters are available to assist or amuse players including a snake charmer, gypsy, and even a ghost or two. In The Sims Makin' Magic, players can conjure up the right spell and watch a garden gnome become a personal gardener and a lawn flamingo transform into an entertaining hostess.

See what happens when the fate of The Sims is challenged and magic spells are cast with good or bad intentions. In The Sims Makin' Magic, expect the unexpected.

The Sims Makin' Magic will be the final edition to The Sims original series and prelude to the highly anticipated launch of The Sims™ 2. The expansion pack will be available for the Halloween season and has a suggested retail price of US$29.95. The Sims or The Sims Deluxe Edition is required to play The Sims Makin' Magic.

About The Sims™

The Sims franchise celebrated its third anniversary in February. The game skyrocketed to the top of the charts when it began shipping to stores in February 2000 and quickly became a universal gaming and cultural phenomenon. The Sims PC base product was the best selling PC game of 2000, 2001, and 2002. Translated into 17 different languages, The Sims has inspired six expansion packs that have all been top sellers. They include The Sims™ Livin' Large, The Sims™ House Party, The Sims™ Hot Date, The Sims™ Vacation, The Sims™ Unleashed, and The Sims™ Superstar. Combined sales for the franchise have topped 28 million units life-to-date. For more information on The Sims franchise titles, visit http://www.thesims.com.

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of $2.5 billion for fiscal 2003. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under three brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA GAMES™, and EA SPORTS BIG™. EA's homepage and online game site is http://www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.info.ea.com.

Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS, EA GAMES, EA SPORTS BIG, Maxis and The Sims are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. EA.COM is a service mark of EA.com Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.