"Hey All,

"I've been getting notes and questions from many of you, about what we're up to now that The Sims 2 has gone gold…well, other than painting the walls red (quite literally, you'll see…), we've been cheering on our Maxoid compatriots who are putting the finishing touches on a really new take on Sims! When we initially asked this team to think about what city life would be like for The Sims, they came up with something so fresh and cool that we decided the Sims needed a whole new name…and hence, we introduce to you, The Urbz. Now, who better to tell you all about The Urbz but the producer himself, Scot Amos. Take it away Scot..."

"You know The Sims. You know The Sims2, and now The Urbz is joining the family. First off... it's a total privilege to be appearing in this space and shouting out to so many people who know the score on The Sims and The Sims 2. The Urbz are all Sims at heart, but the key difference is they live in urban environs instead of suburban houses and you can find them on console and handheld game systems. The Urbz have apartments and penthouses, and street smarts by the handful. So expect high fashion and gritty, urban sophistication, as well as a hustling, bustling 24/7 city that stands in marked contrast to the type of community you get in the 'burbs; but it's all good; we're all still Sims on the inside. La Familia! :-)

"The Urbz is all about that age-old fantasy of making it big on your own in the city, and scurrying up the social jungle-gym to become known throughout the land. Midnight VIP parties kickoff everywhere ... but to get in, you gotta know the right social moves and have reputation. The Urbz is all about who you know and how well you know 'em, and to be clear, when you first hit the city, you don't know Jack.

"Jobs are another important and hands-on part of city life... and we have the hippest ones around. From busting up bikes in the Chop Shop to the high-end societies Fashion Photographer... we cater to every taste and every style; and even let you make your own! And these jobs are all hands-on micro-games, with some totally frenetic gameplay. You take the job and are thrust in to a frenzied burst of button-mashing madness in order to make the most cash in the shortest time so you can buy stuff to deck-out your apartments and totally customize your Urbz's look and style.

"With the Urbz... it helps to blend in at first so you can stand out later. Instead of creating-a-sim, you're Styling-an-Urb. Once your reputation gets high enough, you can influence everyone in the 9 districts of the City. You'll have the power to make punks and bikers wear pink taffeta or Hawaiian shirts if you choose!! Now, that's power! It's an AWESOME experience to see all of these characters living their daily lives, suddenly overpowered by your will and wearing t-shirts with YOUR Urbz’s face on it! Nothing says reputation like that kind of influence.

"We've got a killer website for you to learn more about game play mechanics and meet some of the movers & shakers in the city. It has a ton of screenshots, movies, and some other really great features for you to keep yourself schooled on the latest happenings in the city:

http://urbzsims.ea.com

"Just to show how far this Urban lifestyle has pushed us all here at Maxis, check out The Sims2's own Lucy Bradshaw tagging up the office!

"We've also assembled some fantastic screenshots of The Urbz that can't be found anywhere else on the Web! Who loves ya!

"(I do!)"

-Scot

"Thanks, Scot – the game's really shaping up to be something special. And speaking of special, did you know that the Urbz website has an infinitely large wall of bricks for you to tag up with messages to send to all your friends. Since we're all friends here, I thought I'd send you guys all a little graffiti tag of my own, to let you all know what I *really* think about you!

See the tag!

"Lata, Playaz,"
Lucy Bradshaw
"The Sims 2 Executive Producer & Buster of Dope Rhymes"