Open for Business is the third expansion pack for The Sims 2, developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It launched on February 28, 2006 in North America and March 3, 2006 in Europe, with a Mac version following on September 4, 2006 through Aspyr Media.
The expansion adds a full business simulation layer to the game. Sims can open and run their own businesses on community lots or directly from their homes, with no limit on how many a single household can own. Flower shops, toy stores, restaurants, salons, electronics outlets, and just about any other storefront concept players can dream up are all fair game.
Running a business
Day-to-day business operations revolve around three new progression systems. Talent badges track a Sim's skill in seven areas: Cosmetology, Flower Arranging, Cashiering, Restocking, Robotics, Sales, and Toy Making. Each badge has bronze, silver, and gold tiers, and higher ranks improve a Sim's speed and the quality of their work.
Business ranks measure a shop's overall success based on customer loyalty. As a business climbs the ranks, it attracts more customers and can charge higher prices. Reaching higher ranks also earns business perks, giving owners bonuses like cash transfers, relationship boosts with customers, and wholesale discounts on supplies.
Customers arrive on the lot and browse items placed on display. Pricing, the presentation of goods, and the owner's sales ability all factor into whether customers buy and come back. Opening and closing hours are controlled by manually flipping an open/closed sign on the lot, a detail that reviewers noted the game didn't explain well to new players.
Bluewater Village
The expansion ships with Bluewater Village, a pre-built neighborhood designed around its commercial lots. Five families come pre-installed, each tied to a business:
- The Tinkers run a toy shop, putting the new Toy Making talent badge to use
- The Ramirez family operates a furniture store
- Delarosa runs a flower shop from home
- The Jacquet family owns a bakery
- Malcolm Landgraab owns both a nightclub and an electronics shop
Bluewater Village works as a hands-on introduction to the business systems, showing players different setups and management styles before they build their own lots from scratch.
Servo
Open for Business introduces the Servo, a playable robot life state. Sims with a gold Robotics talent badge can build one on the robot creation bench. Once activated, a Servo joins the household as a full member. They don't age, start with maxed Mechanical, Cooking, and Cleaning skills, and will autonomously handle housework.
Servos can also be sold as products in a Sim-owned business, making Robotics one of the more versatile badge paths in the expansion.
Building tools and bonus features
Beyond business-specific items like crafting stations, salon chairs, and display cases, the pack adds conical roof options and new objects for toddlers and children.
Open for Business also carries forward restaurant and chemistry systems from Nightlife and the influence system from University, making them available to players who don't own those packs. For more on The Sims 2's expansion lineup, check out our Nostalgia Sunday look at University.
Soundtrack
Silas Hite composed the Open for Business soundtrack, which includes a new wave-themed radio station. Depeche Mode, Howard Jones, and Kajagoogoo all recorded Simlish-language versions of their songs for it.
Reception
Open for Business received generally favorable reviews, sitting at 78 on Metacritic. GameSpot gave it an 8/10 and IGN scored it 7.8. Critics praised the depth of the business simulation but noted that some mechanics weren't clearly explained. The expansion was the third highest-selling PC game of 2006 in North America.