The Sims Goes ALPHA!!!

Except for the final and ship dates, few dates inspire as much awe and terror as a product's Alpha date. The Sims met its Alpha date with flying colors and is steaming towards final! What is "Alpha"? Alpha means all features are in the game and the game just needs to be fully tuned and tested. Expect to see The Sims on store shelves in early 2000. To learn more about game development visit Gamasutra.