The Sims franchise continues to do strong. It’s latest installment, The Sims 3, has helped EA rack up a massive $644 million in sales for its fiscal first quarter of 2010, with over 3.7 million copies of the game shipping out worldwide. At $50 a box, the ‘life-simulator’ is apparently representing over a quarter of that figure and according to EA is outpacing its predecessor. Even with the high sales, EA still lost money for the quarter.

The impressive sales figures will likely serve EA well when they release the game’s first expansion, which is due this year. The real test will be whether or not The Sims 3 can beat lifetime sales figures of either of its predecessors, one of which currently holds the ‘best-selling game of all time’ title. Though initial sales look very healthy, how long will they be able to sustain them?