EA's The Sims 4 Reality TV Competition Offers Up $100,000 In Prizes

TBS will be home to a new type of reality show, one that revolves around esports. Called 'The Sims Spark'd,' the series comes from EA working with Turner Sports, BuzzFeed Multiplayer, and ELEAGUE. This is the first esports competition that will involve the video game The Sims 4, underscoring the growing popularity of esports as a form of competition and entertainment.

The majority of esports competitions are tournaments involving shooting games of some variety. The Sims Spark'd is obviously different, instead involving the virtual Sims world and its unique storytelling environment. Instead of eliminating opponents, this competition will involve competitors who must complete creative challenges.

Players will be tasked with creating unique Sims characters, storylines, and worlds, according to EA, which will have the show presented by ELEAGUE. Fans of The Sims 4 will be able to catch the show for the first time on July 17 at 11 PM ET/PT on the cable network TBS. Each new episode will air a week apart at the same time.

Those who aren't planning to stay up that late will instead be able to catch the 'encore telecasts' of each episode the next morning at 8 AM on TBS. Alternatively, you'll be able to stream the show through BuzzFeed Multiplayer every Monday following the new episode on Fridays.

The series will only run for four episodes; the competitors will play for a $100,000 prize pool. Celebrity judges will be joining the show to serve as judges, including game developer Dave Miotke, YouTuber Kelsey Impicciche, and singer Tayla Parx. It's unclear how popular the show will end up being — with only four episodes and such a late hour on television, EA likely isn't expecting much from the competition.