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SimCity sells over 1.1 million copies in two weeks, biggest SimCity launch ever

N

Neuromancer

Member
EA said:
SimCity Sells More Than 1 Million at Launch

Digital Sales Drive Record-Breaking Performance
Category:
Company News, Maxis
Monday, March 18, 2013 10:28 am PDT

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) today announced that SimCity™ recorded more than 1.1 million units sold through in the first two weeks, making this the biggest SimCity launch of all time. Roughly 54 percent of those sales have been of digital versions of the game, downloaded directly to players’ PCs via Origin™ or other digital download services.

“SimCity had a great weekend with sales strong across both North America and Europe, adding to overwhelming demand at launch that has us tracking well beyond expectations for the game,” said Peter Moore, Chief Operating Officer for EA. “SimCity is one of the storied brands in gaming, and Maxis delivered a game re-envisioned and engineered for the online age.”

Gamers have logged on to SimCity via Origin in record numbers, with 44 percent of SimCity sales delivered via EA’s direct-to-consumer digital download service. SimCity gamers have also helped set new records for peak concurrent users on Origin, now at 1.3 million and rising.

In just two weeks:

SimCity players have logged more than 15 million hours of online gameplay.
More than 5.7 million original cities have been created since launch.
More than 780 million buildings have been built.
SimCity mayors to date have built enough road and railroad tracks to circle the globe more than 40,000 times.

The Maxis™ studio also continues to enhance both the core SimCity game and the online service infrastructure; in the last two weeks, they have increased server capacity by more than 400%, optimized server response times by 40 times, and deployed fixes to address players' direct feedback on game performance.

Everything is intelligently simulated in this new SimCity, from all of the Sims in a city, to every kilowatt of power pulsing through a region thanks to the powerful GlassBox Engine. It is the most expansive city management game yet where multi-city gameplay across regions delivers a larger playing field. No longer are players relegated to playing one single city, now they can manage and play up to 16 cities at once. Each city can have different specializations; they can share services and trade resources; they can help or even hinder each other; every decision a player makes in each city has impact in the broader region. It’s up to the player to decide where and how they play.

For the first time in the series multiplayer is added to the gameplay giving players a new dimension to the game, as decisions impact both the city and the region, creating new ways to play by collaborating or competing to earn achievements. Underpinning SimCity is a live service that simulates real-time updates and pushes them to players in the form of new challenges and achievements. Players will track their progression alongside their friends and the world for the most polluted city, the richest city and more. Whether players play by themselves, with their friends or with the rest of the world, SimCity will challenge players to create the city of their dreams and answer the question – what kind of mayor will you be?

SimCity is available now worldwide on PC via Origin and retail stores. SimCity is rated E10+ by the ESRB. For more information regarding SimCity, please visit www.SimCity.com. SimCity for Mac will be available in spring 2013. Press assets for SimCity are available at www.info.ea.com.
Click to expand...
Source: http://news.ea.com/press-release/company-news/simcity-sells-more-1-million-launch
 
N

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
This just came through as a press release.

EA said:
SimCity Sells More Than 1 Million at Launch

Digital Sales Drive Record-Breaking Performance
Category:
Company News, Maxis
Monday, March 18, 2013 10:28 am PDT

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) today announced that SimCity™ recorded more than 1.1 million units sold through in the first two weeks, making this the biggest SimCity launch of all time. Roughly 54 percent of those sales have been of digital versions of the game, downloaded directly to players’ PCs via Origin™ or other digital download services.

“SimCity had a great weekend with sales strong across both North America and Europe, adding to overwhelming demand at launch that has us tracking well beyond expectations for the game,” said Peter Moore, Chief Operating Officer for EA. “SimCity is one of the storied brands in gaming, and Maxis delivered a game re-envisioned and engineered for the online age.”

Gamers have logged on to SimCity via Origin in record numbers, with 44 percent of SimCity sales delivered via EA’s direct-to-consumer digital download service. SimCity gamers have also helped set new records for peak concurrent users on Origin, now at 1.3 million and rising.

In just two weeks:

SimCity players have logged more than 15 million hours of online gameplay.
More than 5.7 million original cities have been created since launch.
More than 780 million buildings have been built.
SimCity mayors to date have built enough road and railroad tracks to circle the globe more than 40,000 times.

The Maxis™ studio also continues to enhance both the core SimCity game and the online service infrastructure; in the last two weeks, they have increased server capacity by more than 400%, optimized server response times by 40 times, and deployed fixes to address players' direct feedback on game performance.

Everything is intelligently simulated in this new SimCity, from all of the Sims in a city, to every kilowatt of power pulsing through a region thanks to the powerful GlassBox Engine. It is the most expansive city management game yet where multi-city gameplay across regions delivers a larger playing field. No longer are players relegated to playing one single city, now they can manage and play up to 16 cities at once. Each city can have different specializations; they can share services and trade resources; they can help or even hinder each other; every decision a player makes in each city has impact in the broader region. It’s up to the player to decide where and how they play.

For the first time in the series multiplayer is added to the gameplay giving players a new dimension to the game, as decisions impact both the city and the region, creating new ways to play by collaborating or competing to earn achievements. Underpinning SimCity is a live service that simulates real-time updates and pushes them to players in the form of new challenges and achievements. Players will track their progression alongside their friends and the world for the most polluted city, the richest city and more. Whether players play by themselves, with their friends or with the rest of the world, SimCity will challenge players to create the city of their dreams and answer the question – what kind of mayor will you be?

SimCity is available now worldwide on PC via Origin and retail stores. SimCity is rated E10+ by the ESRB. For more information regarding SimCity, please visit www.SimCity.com. SimCity for Mac will be available in spring 2013. Press assets for SimCity are available at www.info.ea.com.
Click to expand...
Source: http://news.ea.com/press-release/company-news/simcity-sells-more-1-million-launch
 
M

Mystic_Wanderer

Member
All terrible launch issues aside, it's a really great game.

I didn't think I was going to like the multiple cities requirement, but it's very addictive. Really enjoying this game now that it works.
 
M

marrec

Banned
The overwhelming customer demand for SimCity™ shows just how important online aspects are to gamers of all ages.

We've heard your voices guys, and we assure you that from this point on, you will not be able to play any EA game offline.

Thanks,
Satan.
 
K

King_Moc

Banned
they have increased server capacity by more than 400%
Click to expand...

And it still can't support the community features? Maths tells me that for them to think this launch was possibly going to work, they must have been expecting to sell less than 250,000 copies.
 
I

I'm an expert

Formerly worldrevolution. The only reason I am nice to anyone else is to avoid being banned.
Vote with your wallets is what we say. You have voted.
 
I

I NEED SCISSORS

Banned
Like with Tomb Raider, I can't help but feel that their decision to 'streamline' the game was the correct one to make from a sales perspective. It's a big risk to turn your back on the hardcore fans in favor of a wider casual audience, but in these instances it paid off.
 
G

guek

Banned
cHuZXPt.gif


really hope it stops there
 
K

kadotsu

Banned
And everyone who has bought it deserves what is coming to them. Enjoy AO-DRM in more future games. The "design required" line was good enough to shut up the masses.
 
D

Derrick01

Banned
And EA gets away with another raping.

I'm interested to see what they'll try next year. Quite frankly we deserve whatever they bring too.
 
K

King_Moc

Banned
I NEED SCISSORS said:
Like with Tomb Raider, I can't help but feel that their decision to 'streamline' the game was the correct one to make from a sales perspective. It's a big risk to turn your back on the hardcore fans in favor of a wider casual audience, but in these instances it paid off.
Click to expand...

Looks that way now, but in the long term i really doubt it. This game is too damn easy. Within a few hours of starting a region i'm at over 300,000 people without fail and the trading is basically an infinite money cheat.
 
J

JLeack

Banned
This happens with every game that gets negative press. Whining on forums appears to do nothing. Flipping consumers.
 
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