There have been some misconceptions in the Sims user community recently regarding our commitment to SimDays and our stance towards sites posting game content. I would like to set the record straight.

We are committed to weekly SimDays. Please understand, however, that they will not be -- and were never meant to be -- object downloads every time. With that said, we WILL continue to create and distribute more free objects.

It is also important to realize that our game development resources are fully committed to getting Livin' Large done and in your hands as soon as possible, which directly affects the pace at which we can generate downloadable game content.

There is more brewing here at Maxis than just game development. We are working very hard on globalizing our websites to serve more than just the English-speaking public. This is putting a tremendous strain on our webstaff, which can result in production delays such as today's afternoon publication of SimDay.

Finally, there have been some recent misunderstandings between Maxis and our Intellectual Property enforcement people at EA legal involving the closure of some fan sites. We have since clarified our position with the legal department.

In future, all sites with pirated copies of The Sims will still be shut down immediately; however, fan sites with content that is Maxis' IP will be shut down after Maxis is informed and has an opportunity to take corrective action with the webmaster.

Maxis respects and appreciates our user community. We are working very hard to supply our customers with as much Sims fun as possible. Thank you for your continued support.