EA recently released its Fiscal Year 2021 report. The report covered the period from April until July 2020, is now available online, and discussed all of EA‘s ongoing properties.
Overall, many companies saw growth early this year as people were told to stay home due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Since the outbreak occurred, companies reported a surge in video game purchases and playtime as many finally had the opportunity to catch up on their growing backlog.
The company has reported that overall player engagement was high for the first quarter. The company began a new initiative called “Stay Home, Play Together.” The initiative encouraged a safe way for players to stay at home unless they have to go out for essential reasons, but also provided them a way to connect with others and have fun.
Mentioned in the report was the rise in The Sims 4 players. The Sims is a well-known dollhouse-style simulation game, but players make it their own by adding mods and custom content on PC, creating challenges, or creating elaborate storylines. The Sims has so far been a primarily solitary game experience, but many connected by streaming their gameplay, sharing photos online, uploading videos to YouTube, and more.
The Sims team has also worked to bring players together in different ways. The team has streamed content on Twitch for Eco Lifestyle, which was released in June, to give payers tricks and tips to get the most out of the expansion pack.
The team has most recently launched a real-life competitive reality show where popular streamers and content creators take on various challenges for a chance to win prize money. The first season is now wrapping up, but the company may be releasing more seasons soon.
EA highlighted The Sims 4 in its report by stating:
Life to date, The Sims 4 has more than 30 million players across all platforms; daily, weekly, and monthly active player totals reached record highs for a first quarter.
The Sims 4 has most recently launched the community voted Stuff Pack Nifty Knitting in late July. The game added a new activity, knitting, into the game for ages children to elders.
Many The Sims 4 fans are anxiously waiting for a fifth installment in the series, but with the success of the fourth game, the future is unknown. As for now, The Sims 4 continues to be popular with players since its release in September 2014.
The Sims 4 is now available on PC and consoles.
