Digital Trends

No virtual lives here, just Sims fans singing their hearts out. EA's new online community lets members share recorded karaoke songs, comedy routines, and more.

With Electronic Arts launching new variants of the Sims seemingly every month, it was only a matter of time before the franchise merged with the Web 2.0 trend – and it finally has. Wednesday marked the opening of the open beta test for The Sims On Stage, an online community for Sims fans to share creative works.

Unlike previous Sims offerings, The Sims On Stage is a free, web-only experience, and has little, if anything, to do with actual Sims. After signup, members can record karaoke songs, stories comedy routines, and more. They can keep their recordings private or make them public for all to see.

Why use the Sims name for a title that has nothing to do with simulated people? Apparently, EA intended On Stage to expand the Sims community, even if the connection to other games was completely tangential. “The Sims has long had one of the largest, friendliest and most creative communities in the world,” said Ron Humble, studio head of the Sims label, in a statement. “With the release of The Sims On Stage, we welcome a new kind of customer to our way of having fun.”

The Sims On Stage is also the newest itegration of SingShot, an online karaoke community that EA acquired in February.