The new 2012 Ford Focus has been driven on virtually every road imaginable and now it will be driven on virtual roads. The Focus is one of the latest cars that Ford has put into the videogame The Sims 3. So after a hard day's work drive your Focus home and watch your Sim drive his new Focus to work.

Since the release of The Sims 2, which sold 145million copies, Ford has been putting its cars as downloadable options for the game and has had over 8 million downloads. Steve Seabolt, EA’s VP of Global Brand Partnerships, explains why downloads have been so popular, “Self-expression is a key personality trait of Sims players; a car like the new Focus that has a lot of personality is perfectly in sync with what resonates.”

As part of that personality customization the Focus offers eight colors in the game as part of the Focus Neon Nights package. The downloadable package comes with other features like a male/female Ford t-shirt, stereo, and neon lights (all of these are in the game). Other cars that Ford has used include the Fiesta in this game, and the Fusion, Escape Hybrid, and Mustang GT in The Sims 2.

An EA games survey showed that 28% of Sims players actually drove Fords in real life. This makes the game a good advertising medium for Ford. Add to that the fact The Sims 3 has already sold 1.4 million copies in its first week alone and Ford has found a way to hit a huge audience.

The video game market is already a billion dollar industry and is expected to grow to an $81.1 billion industry in 2016 and EA is a major player in that industry. Ford’s partnership with EA in the Sims might open them up into the gaming demographic more than ever before due to this partnership.