I was very excited to get to make a trip last week to Electronic Arts, home of Maxis and The Sims. People from select fan sites and EA locations from the United States and Europe were invited for a special event. Things began with a meet and greet in the hotel lounge on Thursday night. Various members from the Sims 2 team stopped by during that time; many of them then went back to work readying things for the next day’s events, promising us a great time.

During this time I was able to discuss the Pets EP with some of the team, and indeed they are hard at work on a patch for the ep to resolve the bodyshop behavior and other items.

Friday morning we made our way over to the main building. In the lobby were some big screens showing commercials and other videos for various EA games, and then up on a balcony I spotted a sign for The Sims. We all got our badges and signed paperwork, and the day began.

The tour began in the corporate building, which included displays of key points in Electronic Art’s history. It was interesting seeing screenshots of their first games which were created about 20 years ago, and how with every 5 year interval how much computing had changed. Then we got a whirlwind tour of some of the facilities, including the cafeteria, gym, basketball court, and central lawn where they hold soccer games and launch parties. In the lobbies and public spaces bright banners featuring various EA products could be seen.

Then it was time for the special meetings… which I’ll be able to tell you about in a few days. Meantime enjoy the photos here!