A new collaboration between Facebook and Electronic Arts (EA) will offer you the chance to play God. The gaming company this week announced that SimCity Social, the newest incarnation of the city-building simulator, is coming to the social networking site.
"SimCity Social brings the real city-building simulation to the masses, giving players the freedom to create sprawling cities that come to life as a result of player-driven choice," EA said in a statement.
Currently in closed beta, the Facebook-integrated game will launch "soon," EA said.
"This isn't your typical drag and drop city-building game," Jami Laes, vice president of Global Studios for Playfish said in a statement. "Players don't just build a city — they choose the kind of city they want and watch its soul come to life as it grows and reacts to their decisions."
SimCity Social marries what Laes called the best in social gaming design with the unprecedented depth to create an all-new deeply social experience, Laes said.
In player-driven SimCity Social, cities evolve based on user choice, allowing creative freedom by the "mayor," or player. The game mirrors true life, forcing unforeseen issues like fires, crime, and pollution, and allows social interaction by visiting friends' cities and using them as resources to complete tasks in your world.
The move to Facebook comes just three months after EA announced that it would revive the SimCity franchise with the game's fifth installment arriving on the PC in 2013.
"We are dedicated to making sure the experience — no matter the platform — has the fun, flavor and playability that has been intrinsic to the franchise since its birth," Lucy Bradshaw, senior vice president of EA's Maxix label, said in a statement.
To view trailers and sneak a peek at content, SimCity fans can visit facebook.com/simcitysocial and "like" EA on Facebook to get in-game items at its launch.
The Sims Social is already available on Facebook's games page, allowing the social network's users to play house online with friends. In February, The Sims moved into Tencent Open Platform, China's leading social network, making it available to players via Tencent's social gaming network QZone.
EA today also announced that The Sims 3 Katy Perry's Sweet Treats add-on is now available. The pack offers a range of new content, including décor, furniture, fashions, and hairstyles akin to the California Gurl's sugary style. "All the props are so sweet and fun," Perry said in an EA statement. "You can turn your world into a virtual Candyfornia!"
Perry first teamed up with EA and The Sims in January.
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