The Sims 3 – 100 Million Downloads of User Created Virtual Items

The Sims 3 is racking up some impressive numbers.  Not only was it the best selling game of 2009 after debuting in June (selling 3.7 million units in its first month), its virtual good exchange has seen enormous traffic.

The game’s official website gets 6 million monthly users.  To date over 100 million downloads of user created virtual items have taken place on The Sims Exchange.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/26922/EA_The_Sims_3_TopSelling_PC_Game_Worldwide_In_2009.php

DGSpy’s Take

EA’s clever community building project is working not only to build longevity and loyalty to its franchise, but effectively draws in new players as well via word of mouth.  Expect to see many more virtual exchanges and digital goods strategies from publishers in the future.