US publisher Electronic Arts has partnered with TBS to make a new reality TV show based on its The Sims IP.
The series is called The Sims Spark'd and will feature 12 online personalities from the game's community competing to impress a number of celebrity judges. Spark'd is rolling out on July 17th, with episodes airing weekly. It's being hosted by American Idol finalist Rayvon Owen, while YouTube personality Kelsey Impicciche, singer-songwriter Tayla Parx and Maxis developer Dave Miotke forming the panel of judges.
“Since its inception, The Sims has been a groundbreaking experience, allowing players to create and virtually live out the stories they create in-game. That’s what makes it so special,” said Lyndsay Pearson, The Sims' GM.
“That’s also why this show is so exciting. We’re continuing that innovative spirit, bringing our community together to compete and showcase their in-game storytelling on a reality show in an entirely new way.”
Turner chief content officer Craig Barry added: “ELeague has become a destination for premium gaming content and The Sims Spark’d fits perfectly with our focus on gaming lifestyle and culture programming. We look forward to this next phase of our partnership with EA as we showcase its popular Sims franchise on TBS.”
The Sims 4 now boasts almost 10m monthly users. In February 2019, the title had made more than $1bn in revenue while by October 2019 the franchise as a whole had made more than $5bn to date.
