Today EA announced the next expansion in its successful series The Sims: The Sims 3: The Medieval, a new take on an old classic. This expansion has your Sim building kingdoms, and questing in a style that sounds not unlike Oblivion or Dragon Age - bringing to The Sims an air of RPG gaming.
EA had this to say via their site:
We are delighted to announce The Sims Medieval, a new game currently in development that places the popular Sims characters from The Sims game into the Middle Ages and brings players robust, compelling gameplay never seen before in the history of The Sims. For the first time, players can create heroes, venture on quests, build and control a kingdom, and play every Hero Sim character in the land. Creativity will soar as players tell stories like never before full of drama, romance, conflict, and comedy.
The Sims Medieval offers players a chance to build up a medieval kingdom, controlling characters from all walks of life, from Kings and Queens, to Knights and Wizards, Blacksmiths and Bards. It provides a host of storytelling possibilities in the form of quests, from crafting a legendary sword to arranging a royal wedding, to protecting the kingdom from an evil sorcerer, to finding the fountain of youth. Every quest plays out differently depending on which Hero Sim the player is controlling.
Players can choose to customize every new Hero that comes to the kingdom, including selecting their traits and their fatal flaw. Players get close to their characters, not only sending them on epic quests, but also making sure they carry out their daily responsibilities such as healing the sick, trading for exotic goods, or forging armour - what happens to their Sims is up to the player. The time of romance and chivalry is back with The Sims Medieval. More details can be found at http://www.thesimsmedieval.com. Out Spring 2011.
Adding a fantasy/Medieval vibe is a perfect next step for this franchise. EA has enjoyed enormous success with The Sims as well it’s numerous expansion, successors, and stuff packs. Despite complaints of archaic DRM by it’s customers - The Sims' sales still have been nothing short of record breaking, and this expansion undoubtedly will experience the same success. Adding an RPG element to the game could bring in a demographic of gamers that have not played The Sims in the past, expanding on it's already enormous player base.
Scott Evans, General Manager of The Sims Studio at EA had this to say:
"The Middle Ages is a time of intrigue, legend, and excitement. It offers a perfect backdrop for a brand new series from The Sims studio due to the limitless stories that can be told, The Sims Medieval offers a new way for players to experience The Sims which we hope fans will enjoy, and it features gameplay that fans of strategy and role-playing games will find appealing such as controlling an entire kingdom and quest-based gameplay mechanics."
Get Medieval with The Sims 3: The Medieval in Spring 2011, for PC and Mac platforms.
Source: The Sims 3, EA