2020 has finally reached its "turn a popular video game into a reality TV show" phase. EA has revealed that The Sims will be headed to the small screen for a new competitive game show/reality experiment called The Sims Spark'd. I always knew this day would come. I just thought I'd be closer to death when it did.
The new show will see some of the best and most skilled Sims players across the land take on a range of challenges. The ultimate prize? An eye watering $100k. And the ability to claim that you're one of the best people at The Sims, I guess, although I didn't really know it was a game you could be "good" or "bad" at.
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"The contestants will be given creative challenges to build the most unique characters, worlds and stories, all told through the latest highly successful game in the franchise, The Sims 4," a press release explains.
"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," added Lyndsay Pearson, General Manager of The Sims franchise.
"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."
"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," said Craig Barry, Chief Content Officer, Turner Sports. "We look forward to this next phase of our partnership with EA as we showcase its popular Sims franchise on TBS."
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The four-part series kicks off on July 17th as part of a new collaboration between Turner Sports esports and EA. You'll be able to watch the first episode at 11pm ET on TBS. If you're wanting to watch in the UK, that'd be 7am the following day... although I have no idea how you're legally getting hold of access to TBS.
Episodes will premiere weekly every Friday between July 17th and August 7th at the same time every night. If you can wait, BuzzFeed Multiplayer will be the place for non US folk to stream each episode of The Sims Spark'd roughly one week after original broadcast.
Hopefully this leads to a new era of reality TV and video game crossovers. I'd very much like to see the entire cast of Geordie Shoresomehow crossover with the world of The Last Of Us, for example.
Featured Image Credit: EA