The first "Stuff" pack for the Sims 2, Family Fun Stuff, will be released later this month. Although previously it was said to be sold at a price of $20, EA has decided to increase the price. Packaging and shipping costs are the main reason. The so-called "Gold Master" CD, the very first CD containing the product which will then be copied to the pressed versions, was broken. The pack had already gone gold, yet unannounced by a press release from EA. This has made millions of already printed copies unusable. These copies cannot be sold anymore, and will be destroyed next week. A new, working version has been made yesterday and is in testing over the weekend. It's expected to be sent to the
CD printing factories next week. Family Fun Stuff will be released in stores a week later, but a version at EA Downloader will be released at the given date of 13 April. Due to this misprint the pack will also be sold at a higher price than mentioned before for the first couple of weeks: $25 instead of $20. Availability of the product might also be lower than usual. The price will probably drop back to $20 when the next Stuff pack is released. That rumoured Glamour pack is expected late June. If nothing goes wrong with that, Glamour Stuff will probably start selling at $20.
[Update 2 April, 1:04] Did we kid you? The truth is that Family Fun Stuff will be released on time, in the week of 13 April, for the price of $20 (or roughly the equivalent in any other local currency). Although the game has probably gone gold by now, considering the short time to the release, this has not yet been announced or confirmed by EA. An EA Downloader version too has not yet been confirmed. All the details about that will be posted here as we get the news. Next year, keep in mind that the first of April is a day when we'll post something that's not entirely true...
Maxis has said they regret the price increase, but that they also can't do much about it. "We're a business, and our goal is to make a profit. The increased costs have forced us to sell the pack at a higher price for a while. The only other option was to cancel the pack completely, but many fans have been waiting for Family Fun Stuff, and we don't want to keep it from them." It's the first time EA is being forced to increase the price of one of their products.April Fools!
[Update 2 April, 1:04] Did we kid you? The truth is that Family Fun Stuff will be released on time, in the week of 13 April, for the price of $20 (or roughly the equivalent in any other local currency). Although the game has probably gone gold by now, considering the short time to the release, this has not yet been announced or confirmed by EA. An EA Downloader version too has not yet been confirmed. All the details about that will be posted here as we get the news. Next year, keep in mind that the first of April is a day when we'll post something that's not entirely true...
It's most likely that a version at EA Downloader will also be more expensive. EA Downloader rates have been the same as the packaged versions before, and although they're not directly affected, EA still needs to make up for the extra costs. The EA Downloader version has not yet been announced officially, but it will most likely be made available after the success of the Holiday Party Pack, one of the first products available through EA's downloading service. It's yet unclear whether European versions will be more expensive, or if they'll be released later as well, since those were printed using a slightly different Gold Master CD. Naturally we'll keep you updated as more news about this comes in.
Written at 13:59 on Saturday, 1 April 2006 by ChEeTaH.
