EA Brings Laptops to Life With The Sims Stories is the announcement that EA's relentless The Sims series will continue with The Sims Stories, a new line of games based on the people sim geared towards the on-the-go laptop crowd. The first offering, The Sims Pet Stories, is due this summer, and the follow-up, The Sims Castaway Stories, is slated for a Winter 2008 release. These are stand-alone games that will not require previous Sims games to play. Here's word:

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) announced today that The Sims™ is launching a new line of games — The Sims Stories. These laptop-friendly games will feature engaging characters and easy-to-play storylines that are sure to entertain both the novice and experienced player.

The Sims Stories games are the latest offering from the popular Sims franchise, which has been translated into 22 languages and sold more than 70M games around the world — that’s more than enough to give a game to every single person in the UK! It’s popularity is due in part to The Sims appeal beyond a traditional gaming audience; more than half of The Sims players are female.

The first of these games, The Sims Life Stories, introduces an all-new Story Mode with two stories that follow the lives of Riley Harlow and Vincent Moore, two very different characters who have reached similar crossroads in their love lives. A comic romantic plot centered around engaging characters guides players through twelve chapters of this one-of-a-kind entertainment experience. Players can take their Sims through unique and entertaining storylines filled with romance, intrigue and dramatic twists. Will female lead character Riley ditch beau number one to marry and have kids with beau number two? Will successful entrepreneur Vince ever find love, or the culprit who’s been foiling his heart-earned efforts to find it? Players can discover these answers and more, or enjoy classic open-ended Sims gameplay.