Hi Simmers!

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Graham Nardone, and I've been a producer on every expansion and stuff pack released for The Sims 3 so far. I’ve had the privilege of traveling across the globe to meet many members of our community. We've chatted and shared a few laughs, but most importantly I've had the honor of listening to what many of you have to say about The Sims.

As we enter 2012, I know it’s going to be a fantastic year for The Sims. From The Sims 3 Showtime Expansion pack and The Sims 3 Master Suite Stuff pack to unannounced projects currently in development, the teams within The Sims Studio have several great experiences for you this year.

Since the launch of The Sims 3 in 2009, the game experience has expanded considerably with robust expansion packs, stuff packs, new downloadable worlds and unique content offerings through The Sims 3 Store. As the game has grown, so has The Sims community across portals such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and of course all of you right here on TheSims3.com. As we branch out into these new areas, it continues to be a priority for us to gather feedback, engage with the community on the direction of the franchise and respond to questions.

For those of you who have been fans and active in the community spanning the years of The Sims, we thank you. We’re thrilled that people are so passionate about the games that you ask for past favorite features to return in new game experiences. Many fan requests have been incorporated into upcoming game releases and are being factored into future game developments. We’re also reaching out to new players by offering content with themes that we’ve never undertaken before. We’re committed to advancing the game and opening the experience for even more players in our global audience to enjoy. With the variety of content offered throughout The Sims games on the horizon, we’re certain that you’ll find something that speaks personally to you and the experiences you have with your Sims.

As a developer working on The Sims, I truly have one of the best jobs someone who loves video games could ask for. There are millions of The Sims players around the world, and knowing that fans eagerly anticipate each upcoming game we create helps drive us every day. While I’m always excited to discuss what the future holds, it’s just as important to have an open dialogue regarding the experiences you’re having with the games we’ve already released, and recognizing what we can do to improve your experience. Many of us on the team spend time reading the forums and social media channels and share your feedback with the larger development teams. We know the hot topics that are being discussed. It’s our responsibility as developers to not only recognize those topics, but to communicate with you about how we intend to address them.

To kick off more of this dialogue, we’ve included some of the frequently asked questions from the forums and have responses for you. We’ll continue to share new information and respond to your feedback here, so keep an eye out for future blogs and interviews.

From all of us at The Sims Studio, thank you for playing such a large part in the continued success of The Sims!

Graham Nardone

The Sims 3 Assistant Producer

Does The Sims community have a say?

We want you to know that we take all of your feedback very seriously. We read our forums, fan sites, Facebook posts, tweets and take all of that information into consideration when planning the development of games and content for The Sims games. Our goal is to provide fans of The Sims with the content and experiences they want and keep the variety fresh and affordable.

You’re able to produce so many packs a year, how can we be sure that each pack is getting the attention and content that it deserves?

We appreciate all of the loyal fans who go out on day one to buy our latest games or content releases, so we do our best to make sure we meet, and hopefully exceed, expectations. We are fortunate to have a very large team at The Sims Studio. While one group is working on one project, we have other product in development happening within other teams. This ensures that we are able to give you new content on a frequent basis. Since we have so many fans with so many interests, we’re constantly working with the community to decide what content we should develop next.

We also strive to create themes for new games and content updates that drive new, innovative gameplay and bring content that addresses feedback from The Sims community.

Are there any deals on The Sims 3 Store?

The Sims 3 Store provides new deals every day through its Daily Deals page. Each day there is a new offer, sometimes more than one. Players can save over 50% on some of the most popular items. Several of our expansion packs are great deals at the moment at The Sims 3 Store, so please check the site to see what’s offered in your territory.

The Sims 3 Store also provides free Avatar Backgrounds, Badges, and Stickers that players can use to customize their “MyPage” on Thesims3com. It also offers an array of free content and sets that any player can redeem, and use to customize their game in all-new ways. As well, The Sims 3 Store also provides a whole-new World, Riverview, free to all players who wish to redeem it. Just follow these links:

o   Free items can be found here: http://store.thesims3.com/setsProductListing.html?scategoryId=12858

o   Riverview page here: http://store.thesims3.com/customProductDetail.html?categoryId=12642&index=0&productId=OFB-SIM3:23468

Are the new connected features something the fans asked for?

We’re very proud of the options that we’ve been able to provide to better connect us to you and you to your friends within The Sims community. The Sims is a franchise that is based on player choice, and we give you the tools to play as you choose. While some of you may choose to enjoy your offline experience as you always have, some of you have asked to be able to play and share with your friends. Through these features, players have the opportunity to post their Sims’ successes, share gameplay techniques, create wish lists and send gifts, search for new friends and share memories through their in-game news feeds and beyond. Even if you choose not to play with your friends or post on in-game walls, you can still benefit from online connected features. Using these functions, we are able to notify you and provide you with new challenges and achievements that will be rolled out on a regular basis. Again, it’s there if you want it, but of course, it’s all up to you.

Did you know that today is National House Plant Appreciation Day? To celebrate, we decided to hold a gifting thread on the forums. Join us for a chance to be randomly selected to receive a house plant for their Sims\' homes. The giveaway will end at 3PM today.

Good luck and Happy Simming!

Share your Wishlist URL here

The Shorty Awards are back! 

From their site: 
The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media, recognizing the people and organizations producing real-time short form content on across Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube, Foursquare, and the rest of the social Web. 

Show your love and support for The Sims 3 by nominating us in the Gaming category. Thank you in advance. I'll update the thread with our progress. You guys are the best!  

Send your nominations here