#videogamebetabook

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The Urbz: Sims In The City - Videogamebetabook

The Urbz: Sims In The City (Also simply titled "The Urbz") is a game that was released on November 9th, 2004 for the Sony Playstation 2, Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo Gamecube, Nintendo DS and Nintendo Gameboy Advance. Versions for the Nokia NGage, Sega Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows and the Playstation Portable were in development, but all cancelled due to various reasons, which can be found below.

The game was planned to start a sub series for The Sims, where multiple titles had been planned. Due to low sales, the sequel that was under development at the time, and all plans for later sequels, were scrapped.

https://web.archive.org/web/20160413213212/http://videogamebetabook.wiki-site.com/index.php/The_Urbz:_Sims_In_The_City

Windows Version (Windows) - 2003-2004 - (Cancelled) (NuFX/EA Chicago)

In March 2003, EA wanted the game to not only launch as intended on just consoles, they wanted the planned Urbz sub series to be on PC as well.

Electronic Arts then had NuFx, a chicago game developer, start development of the PC version. This version would be the version used for most of the trailers and promotional releases due to Electronic Arts feeling the game was more polished. The game ran a heavily modified Renderware engine, and was to play more like a third person action adventure game, in comparison to the original Sims game which was a fixed perspective point and click simulation game.

According to information released on a now defunct blog of a former NuFx developer, the PC version also allowed players to drive cars, and the game, unlike the console version, was to be fully open world (This concept of Open World would later be used for The Sims 3).

The game was cancelled at near completion in 2004 due to the low sales of the Console and Handheld versions. However, EA was impressed with NuFx's work, so they purchased the studio in 2004 and it was renamed EA Chicago. (The studio would later close in 2007).