EA is ending support for The Sims 2 and is offering registered owners of the digital version of the game a free upgrade to the Ultimate Collection.
EA confirmed this in e-mails to owners of the game, where the publisher clarified that although it wasn’t intending on releasing any new content for The Sims 2, the company would continue to provide some support for the game through EA Help.
Here’s the letter they sent:
Dear Origin gamer,
Your current version of The Sims 2 will lose technical support on 22 July 2014. We want you to have the most up-to-date version of The Sims 2 in your collection, so you will see a brand new addition to your Origin library: The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection.
This is the most up-to-date version of The Sims 2 and the version that is still supported by Origin. It also features a lot more content than you may already have in your current version of The Sims 2.
The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection will appear in your Origin library automatically. You’ll need to download and install it to your computer to play it.
You’re free to continue playing your existing version of The Sims 2, but please note that it is an older edition of the game that will soon lose technical support. To continue receiving support on your progress of The Sims 2 – including Sims characters, houses, etc. — you will need to transfer your save files of The Sims 2 to the Ultimate Edition.
Once you’ve migrated your Sims’ lives to The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection, you can better organize your Origin game library by hiding your previous version of The Sims 2. Click on the tile for The Sims 2 in your Game Library for the option to hide it. If you need additional directions, we’ve got you covered.
Thanks for your continuing passion for The Sims.
The next iteration of the franchise is The SIms 4. It comes out on September 2 for the PC.