TheSims3.com
TheSims3.com is the official site for The Sims 3. It went live March 2008. Beginning in the Summer of 2008, the development team posted blogs about features in The Sims 3 on topics like the neighborhood, collecting, traits, and storytelling.
Since the release of The Sims 3, it has become a source of news, stories, movies and custom content from "The Store" and "The Exchange".
The Sims 3 Store offers exclusive items and room sets from hairstyles and outfits to furniture and architectural items. Game Update 1.8/2.3[1] allows players to shop the Store while playing The Sims 3.
thumb|left|256px|The trailer for The Sims 3 Store.
As a "sneak peak" to The Sims 3, players could try out 3 "SimTeasers", which are kind of demos of The Sims 3.
- SimSidekick
- SimSidekick is a plugin that allows the surfer to browse the web with a Sim. There is a Firefox addon but it only works on Firefox 3.0 and the link does not work.
- SimFriend
- SimFriend allows the player to choose a Sim for a "friend". The "friend" then begins to send the player emails about what is happening in their lives and occasionally asks them for advice. The players receives a Trust score based on how good that advice is. Other achievements such as how many relationships, jobs and skills the friend has can be acquired.
- SimSocial
- SimSocial is a bite-size version of The Sims 3 based on Kudos 2 by Positech Games. It contains abbreviated Create a Sim options, including traits and a lifetime wish. Otherwise it plays exactly like Kudos 2.
- On May 23, 2011, EA said that SimSocial will be shutdown (a week prior to Generations).
A notice to SimSocial users warning that SimSocial will be shutdown. - SimSocial was most likely shut down due to unpopularity and a new game that would be on Facebook using the same name. EA later accounced at E3 2011 that The Sims Social would launch on Facebook.
Premium Content
In 2011 EA added the first piece of Premium Content[2], The Sharper Sim Foot Massage Chair (Premium Content is an item that adds additional gameplay, moodlets and animations). Since then they have added at least one new Premium Content item a month to The Sims 3 Store (usually as part of one of that month's new sets). Besides the message chair, they have also added items such as an automatic toilet, wind chimes, a gumball machine, an automatic pet food dish and the Pinball Machine[3].