Hi Everyone, check out the first blog on the new expansion pack, The Sims 3 University Life!

SimGuruKarsky here! The Sims Studio is thrilled to announce today that The Sims 3 University Life is in development and will launch on March 5^th of this year. I want to take this time to tell you a little bit about some of the cool new features that will be available in this expansion. Please note that this is the first blog of many. In the coming weeks, we’ll be deep diving on many of the features highlighted below, as well as revealing some all new ones. For now, here’s an overview of what’s to come in The Sims 3 University Life.

Now, I don’t know about you,but university was a pretty awesome time in my life—if you haven’t gone yet, I bet it will be for you too! I certainly gained a great deal of knowledge from studying about things related to my major, but I also learned that there is a lot more to the university experience than just textbooks and classrooms. When we started brainstorming the game play for The Sims 3 University Life, we wanted to make sure that we got all of that into the game. Not just the academics, which are of course important, but the socializing, the partying, and the day-to-day experiences of being away from home. All of this even played into picking the name. We included “Life” in the name to evoke the bigger picture of the quintessential university years, from dating and partying, to group study sessions and class activities.

Making the Grade

When you think university,one of the top things in your mind is academics. I mean, it’s the “real” reason you go to university, right? So we wanted to make sure we made this part of the game as robust as it is in real life. That meant we wanted a richer experience than just “doing time” to earn a passing grade. So, we created different objects Sims can use and activities they can do to improve their grades. For example,Science and Medical students have a skeleton they can work on, Communications majors can broadcast their own radio show, and other majors all have their own unique objects that impact Sims’ success. And, of course, university wouldn’t be complete without study groups and lectures, so we’ve got those in the game too!

It’s Who You Know

In The Sims 3 University Life there are different social groups on campus: the nerds, the rebels and the jocks. Hanging out and gaining cred with these three groups offers unique advantages to your Sims, from earning dream jobs to even gaining an extra trait! And just like real life, your Sim can choose to spend time with only one or all three of the social groups. Your Sim might be a Fine Arts major with a techie streak, so your Sim could spend time with both the nerds and the rebels to build the right kind of relationships and story. If your Sim gains enough influence with the nerds, they might even unlock one of the brand new social group careers, such as becoming a video game developer (my favorite new career).

Are You Ready to Party?

Hanging out with friends, going to parties, dating–all of these are also huge parts of the typical university experience. I studied at a school where each year there was an awesome bonfire party held by a group of students. Being so fond of this memory, I really wanted us to include bonfires in the game.  A couple of other guys on the team remembered playing games with ping pong balls at parties and so we included “juice pong” for your Sims to play! We wanted to make sure we included a lot of the iconic party situations from university and I think we got ‘em. We even created a special Party Pack that you will receive when you pre-order the Limited Edition version of the game. The Party Pack features the Partaeus Maximus statue and will give Sims the ability to throw the themed costume bash of their lives! The pack comes with brand new togas, laurel leaves and masquerade masks for those classic college parties. Partaeus Maximus will not only let you choose between toga, masquerade, formal, sleepwear, and swimwear parties, but will also boost the moods of all of your party guests.

Well, thanks for reading upon The Sims 3 University Life today! This is just a quick introduction to some of the fun content that you can expect in this expansion. Stay tuned as we’ll be featuring more details on the game in the coming weeks. Be sure to tune in for our next Live Broadcast taking place on 14^th February at 6PM GMT.

The Sims 3 University Life launches on 8th March and we cannot wait to get this pack in your hands. Until then, watch this space for additional updates, and check out our UK Facebook page HERE  for the latest news and screens from the UK Maxis team!

Kari St. John

Senior Producer, The SimsStudio