Electronic Arts is certainly exploring links between its games and physical retail, what with the recent deal seeing Ikea furniture sold within The Sims 2. That game is also the subject of a deal going the other way, with retailer H&M now selling an outfit designed within The Sims 2 by a player, as part of a competition.
In fact, the outfit will be sold in nearly 1,000 stores around the world, and went on sale this weekend outside North America, while it’ll be available there from the end of this month for $14.90. It was submitted as part of ‘The Sims 2 H&M Fashion Runway’ competition, which involved the best entries being shown off in a virtual fashion show. More than 1,000 players submitted designs, while 100,000 voted on the best.
The Sims 2 has got a welcome publicity boost, while H&M says it’s got “a deeper engagement with our brand in a way that was organic” (as these things often are). There’s also an IKEA-style add-on pack for the game, called The Sims 2 H&M Fashion Stuff Pack, which provides players with virtual versions of H&M’s real-world stock, while also building and stocking their own H&M store within the game itself.
With many virtual worlds known for the creativity of their users, it won’t be a surprise to find other world/retailer partnerships of this kind in the coming months. Meanwhile, EA is working on The Sims 3, which is likely to have more online aspects, so it’ll be logical to see the publisher working more closely with fashion, furniture and other consumer goods brands for that.
0 comments